A Castle Falling
by gostopow
Summary: Note: Castle and all it's characters are the property of Mr. Andrew Marlow. AU episode 2x24 A Deadly Game. Castle is about to leave Beckett and the 12th for the Hamptons. But a case brings them back together.
1. Chapter 1

AU: A Deadly Game

Castle tried one last time to get Beckett to accept his invitation to the Hamptons. She of course has turned him down stating that she has to work that weekend and had used up all of her leave finding a new apartment. Just then Castle notices Detective Tom Demming approaching.

Hey, Demming.

Hey, Hey Castle.

Castle then turns away trying to give Kate some privacy.

Demming approaches Kate: So you know that little place in Ashbury I was telling you about, around the corner from our beach house?

Mm-hmm.

Well, they just had a reservation open up on Friday. If we leave early enough, we could probably make it.

Yeah, um…. Will you let me check into it?

Great, I'll see you later.

Beckett turns back and looks at Castle.

Beach House? Thought you were working this weekend.

Yeah, I'm sorry, Castle. I should've just told you. I just didn't want things to be… awkward between us. Now that Tom and I are… Together.

After a pause where they both looking disheartened, Castle speaks first:

No, I get it, yeah. No, you want your private life to be private.

Yeah, I-I just don't—I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable.

Beckett then starts walking away heading towards her desk.

No, of course not. No I mean… actually, that makes what I was going to say a little easier… Um… well, with my book due, I was thinking (walking towards Beckett and now standing in front of her) it'd be a good time for us to take a break.

A Break?

Yeah, well, God knows, you got to be tired of me following you around all the time, and I really do need to get some work done. With everyone gone, I figure, why not just stay up in the Hamptons, you know? Get away from the city for a while.

Well, for how long?

The summer at least. I thought that this would be our last case.

She looks devastated. Just then Ryan and Esposito approach…

(Ryan) So, uh, we… (Castle sits back in his chair, while Beckett regroups and turns to face them)

(Esposito) Everything OK?

(Castle) Great.

(Beckett) Yeah, fine. Uh, what'd you guys find?

(Ryan) Surveillance stills from the bus locker. Your Long Island housewife was right. Roger picked up the briefcase from locker 27B shortly before 10 pm.

(Beckett) Great.

(Esposito) You don't want to know who put it in there?

(Beckett) Oh, yeah. I'm sorry. Yeah (Esposito hands Kate the surveillance photo)

(Castle) That's Roger's handler from Spy-Ventures. He said the briefcase wasn't part of the game, so why is he putting it in Roger's locker.

(Beckett) And why did he lie?

(Castle) Exactly.

Beckett turns back to the boys, pick him up and bring him in for questioning. She turns back around to ask Castle something and notices him just staring at the ground… deep in thought. Is everything O.K. Castle?

Actually, if you don't mind I think I am going to head home.

What? Why? (Something is definitely wrong, he would never leave in the middle of a murder investigation… he would never leave her)

I'm sorry; I just have a lot of things I need to get in order before this weekend… besides I think you and the boys can handle this interview without me. See you tomorrow.

Yeah, see you tomorrow.

Castle then gets up and proceeds to the elevator without looking back, Beckett staring at him the whole way wondering what just happened.

An hour later Ryan and Esposito return with Roger's handler placing him in the box before fetching Beckett and Castle. As they approach they see Beckett sitting alone at her desk with a puzzled expression on her face. Ryan speaks first: Handler's in the box. She just silently nods. Then Esposito: Where's Castle?

He left.

Ryan is the first to respond: What do you mean he Left? Followed by Esposito's: What's going on Beckett?

Look guys, I will let tell you everything, but first let's interview Roger's handler and find out what he has to say.

As soon as Castle exits the precinct, he lets out a breath he did not even realize he was holding. He hates the fact that he is leaving right in the middle of an investigation, but did not think he would really be of any assistance after finding out Beckett's going away for the weekend with Demming. He admits to being jealous after Deeming showed up a couple of weeks back to help with an investigation. He was good friends with Esposito from his days at the 54th and Beckett took an immediate interest in him. He was fooling himself when he thought once the case was over the robbery detective would be history. Instead Demming kept showing up… drinking coffee and talking with Beckett at her desk, going out to lunch with Beckett, building theory with Beckett and last but not least kissing Beckett.

Before Mr. Wonderful showed up, Castle really thought his relationship with Beckett was heading somewhere. The more time they spent together the more he knew he was falling for her. He really thought that she felt it too. Telling him she enjoyed having her pig tails pulled - how he makes her job fun, getting upset when he was going to take the 007 offer, Jealousy over re-uniting with Kyra, and of course the whole building theory with Shaw.

Being a writer you would figure it would be easy for him to let her know what she meant to him… but that was not the case. He figured actions speak louder than words… after all he gave up one hundred thousand dollars of his money for a chance for her to catch her Mom's killer, he gave up a once in a million life time opportunity to write about a certain British agent (his boyhood dream), and then there was the Dunn case – spent all night on her couch making sure she was safe, rushing to her apartment and breaking down her door after the explosion, letting her stay with him until she found a new apartment, shooting the gun out of Dunn's hand just as he was about to kill her, having her father watch repaired, and inviting her into his family (other than Meredith and Gina no other woman has been not only brought into his home but also been accepted mother and daughter).

Maybe it didn't really matter what he did…. She could only see him as the playboy featured on page 6. There was only one thing left to do … bow out. He would go to the Hamptons, finish Naked Heat and then move on never setting foot in the 12th again. But first he needed to clear his head and finish this last case. Instead of calling his car service he decided to walk to the loft.

After the interview, Beckett motions the boys over to the break room closing the door behind them. She doesn't know how to sugar coat it so she just tells them – Castle informed me this will be his last case. Before they can respond she holds up her hand and continues…. He is going to the Hamptons for the summer to get caught up on his writing and complete his latest book.

To say they were shocked was an understatement. Although he was just a writer, Ryan and Esposito had become close with Castle. They saw him as a friend and partner, and after watching him and Beckett together – knew there was another reason and it did not have to do with writing.

After their conversation, Beckett let them know she was going down to see Lanie. Esposito turned to Ryan… look I like Demming from our days at the 54th, but can't she see what is right in front of her? Remember how she was before Castle came around – always serious, the job was her life, no fun… we both know he is bowing out so that she will be happy. So, what can we do Ryan asks? Esposito thinks for a minute: Beckett and I have been friends for a long time – later when it dies down and it is just the two of us I am going to try a get through to her.

As Beckett enters the morgue, Lanie turns and looks over at her. You know I don't have anything new regarding your case. I know I just needed to talk to you she says looking around to make sure no one else was in the area. O.K. Lanie says what has Castle done now? Beckett's response is just a sigh. This is our last case Lanie.

What do you mean your last case?

He's leaving.

For good?

He said it was for the summer so he can get caught up on his writing.

Don't tell me you believe that for one minute.

I don't know, everything seemed like it was going just great and then today he tells me he thinks this would be a good time for a break.

Mm-hmm.

What's that supposed to mean?

Kate, if you want to tell yourself that writer-boy is leaving because he is behind on his book… go ahead, but you and I both know that is not the real reason.

I'm going to go….

Lanie just shakes her head…. I don't know why she just won't open her eyes and see that he is crazy about her.

Castle arrives at the loft. Just as he enters the door Martha is on the other side about to leave for the night. Richard your home early… is everything OK?

Fine mother, I just had some stuff I needed to take care of before this weekend.

She doesn't believe him, but decides against forcing the issue. By the way Patterson called and wanted me to inform you he is going to clean your clock tonight.

Damn, he forgot all about the poker match tonight. Part of him wants to call it off… he is in no mood to listen to Patterson rag on him once again about spending too much time with his detective and not enough writing books. Instead he tanks his mother and tries to get himself focused.

During their poker match, Castle informs Connelly, Connell and Patterson of the case he is working on. Patterson tells him he is looking in the wrong place. The murder has nothing to do with the spy game other than it gave the killer the opportunity to act. Connell tells him there are only three reasons to commit a murder: Love, Money, and to cover up a crime. Once he is done thinking about this theory… all three writers tease him about writing one book a year and tell him he needs to spend less time hanging around his cop friend. She is more of a distraction than a muse. The only thing he can tell them is they are right… he has got everything out of that relationship he is going to get.

After finishing up and seeing his writing friend off, Castle sits in his study nursing his glass of scotch. Just then his phone goes off… without looking at who is calling he answers: Castle.

Richard why have you been ignoring my phone calls?

Look Gina, I really don't feel like getting into this now.

No Richard, you listen to me… we both know it is because you are way behind on your manuscript while playing cops with your pretty detective.

He takes a deep breath and lets it out… You no longer have a say in what I do… you gave up that right after the divorce. I will finish Naked Heat before the end of the summer and I better not here another word from you… is that clear.

Do whatever the hell you want Richard, just make sure I get my manuscript.

Back at the station Beckett is standing in front of the murder board when Esposito approaches.

So, Castle's last case huh?

Mm-hmm.

Ryan and I thought we would do a little going away party.

Yeah, well it's not like he is leaving forever.

You sure about that? Why do you think he has been following you around all this time? What? Research? The guy has done enough research to write 50 books. Look, whatever the reason is – I'm pretty sure it doesn't include watching you be with another guy.

Esposito then walks away leaving Beckett to think about what he said.

Later Beckett is sitting at her desk staring at Castle's empty chair, waiting for Tom so they can go out to dinner. She picks up her phone and calls him. Hey it's Kate, I know you are supposed to head up here in a little while for us to go out, but I not really feeling in the mood.

Well, how about we just pick something up and head to your place?

I really don't think I would be much company she tells him. I got a lot going on (and she is not just talking about the case).

I could help get your mind off things.

Tom, what part of I what I just said do you not understand?

Sorry, I'll just talk to you tomorrow.

With that over with she heads to her apartment, the only thing on her mind a hot bath, glass of wine and Castle.


	2. Chapter 2

_Beckett's Apartment_

She is up way before her alarm goes off. The clock staring angrily on her night stand reads 4:30 am… way too early for her to be up without receiving a call about a body drop. The bath and the glass of wine were supposed to help her relax and get some much needed sleep - but it didn't. Her mind kept continually focusing on him. When she was forced to have Castle in her daily life almost 2 years ago… she could not stand him. He was nothing but an immature, self-centered, jackass playboy with an ego as big as the city. What she would have paid back then to just be able to pull her gun and shoot him… ending her misery. Today, although she would rather not admit it especially in front of him, she would give almost anything for him to continue being by her side. Everything was going great with their relationship… strike that their partnership until yesterday when he announced the break. The thought of this being their last case (at least until the fall) has been disheartening to say the least.

With thoughts of her conversations with Lanie and Espo playing in her head she decides that a run might just be the thing she needs to clear her head and focus back on the case.

As she heads off on her 5 mile run she starts reviewing the evidence already saved in her mind. Something just isn't adding up… then it hits her… they are placing too much focus on the game. Somebody is using Spy-Adventures to cover up the real reason for the murder. She can't wait to tell Castle later. Then all of a sudden it once again hits her… he is leaving. Her mind starts to playback cases over the past year:

First it's the Russian Mob investigation and the look on Castle's face when she rescued him barely wearing anything other than her sweater, underwear and heals. Then the fun she had when she and Castle won the bet with Ryan and Espo over who could solve their murder first. Next was the murder of an illegal immigrant and the feeling the way she does now when he was going to leave her to write for a certain British agent. Over and over as she continues her run her mind is bombarding her with images of Castle…

The murder of a bridesmaid at Kyra Blaine's wedding… how surprised and jealous she was…finding out Castle went for real

The Dick Coonan case when he gave away one hundred thousand dollars of his money without batting an eye just at a chance to catch her mother's killer

How she truly felt during the exotic animal diamond smuggling case… when she was rumored to be romantically linked to him

The Scott Dunn case… where even to start… protecting her, saving her more than once, giving her a place to stay, finding and fixing her dad's watch and of course the jealousy over agent Shaw

The curator case where Castle thought he was cursed… the practical joke, the dog attack, the view of Castle's ass (wait where did that come from), and what probably meant the most… asking her to take care of Alexis if something happened to him

Finally, the case involving former high school friend Madison… once again jealousy (that seems to be a revolving theme) and let's not forget Castle babies…. She just wanted to crawl down a hole and hide

Before even realizing it she was back at her apartment…. Jumping in the shower she asked herself one last question… do I follow my head or my heart?

_Castle's Loft_

He wakes up earlier than usual, not that he wanted to (no reasonable person should be up before 7 am) but his dreams were being invaded by her. Not like he never dreamed/ fantasized about Beckett before, but this time his dream turned into a nightmare… Demming kept appearing. Their kiss in the precinct… their talk about their weekend getaway in Ashbury. It should be him kissing her, it should be her going with him to the Hamptons for the weekend… but it's not and he is just going to have to accept it. Knowing he is not going to fall back to sleep he heads off to his shower.

It is a beautiful May morning and he decides to walk to the precinct and enjoy it. Stopping at his usual coffee house he is greeted by his favorite barista – Kelly. "Good morning Mr. Castle". "Good morning Kelly how is my favorite barista doing this fine day" he says as he steps up to the counter. "Actually I am doing great, I wanted to let you know I got that internship with Anderson, Brown and Barnes" she replies. "I told you that you would get it" he replies. "Well as much as I would like to think I got it on my own I have a feeling that somebody might have put in a good word for me" giving him an inquisitive look. "Just because Mr. Barnes handles most of my legal procedures doesn't necessarily mean I pulled some strings" he answers but then cannot keep the grin off his face. "I knew it" she laughs. What can I say, if I able to help somebody as serious about their schooling as you are – I'm going to do it. That and you remind me a lot of my daughter Alexis. "Thank you, you don't know how much that means to me" is her reply. "Now what can I get you this morning… the usual". "Actually I just need the one coffee this morning" Castle answers. She looks at him with concern in her eyes…. "Your detective didn't throw you out of the precinct again did she?" she asks. (His detective, if only that were true he thinks) "Why would you think that?" is his reply. "The last time you came in here only ordering your coffee without the nonfat latte 2 pumps sugar free vanilla, you told me she kicked you out." "So what did you do?" She asks. "I didn't do anything; I just decided it is time for a change" Castle states. "You not going to quit writing the Nikki Heat books are you?" she asks. "Don't worry; I'm not giving up on Nikki… I'm just not going to be following around Detective Beckett anymore" is his reply. I know it is none of my business Kelly starts, but you were really down in the dumps last summer after you were kicked out. When she let you return… I don't know… you smiled every time you came in here and all you would do is talk about her… that is why I'm surprised. Wanting to change the subject, Castle thanks her and informs her that he needs to be heading out.

_12__th__ Precinct – Beckett's Desk_

She sits staring at the murder board, glancing occasionally at the elevator waiting for his arrival. Beckett turns and sees Castle heading towards her… then she notices, he is only carrying one cup of coffee. Ever since allowing him to return to shadowing her, he has always brought her morning latte. She can barely hide the hurt expression that creeps up on her face.

"Hey" starts Beckett.

"Hey, uh… I was just thinking, may I" he motions towards her desk.

"Yeah" she replies.

"I've been thinking… maybe we have been looking in the wrong place…maybe the murder has nothing to do with the game… maybe it just afforded an opportunity for the killer to act" - Castle.

"That's so funny because… I was thinking the same thing when I woke up this morning, that maybe we got so caught up in the game that we stopped looking at what really mattered" - Beckett.

"The victim" - Castle.

"Exactly, so check this out" says Beckett. She pulls a folder from off her desk the continues pointing at the victim "His financials come back clean, then we did a search on his business partner Lee Copley and it turns out he filed for bankruptcy – 2 months ago: overextended himself in real-estate".

"Let me guess… if Roger dies his half of the business goes to Copley" - Castle.

Flipping the folder Beckett says "over half a million dollars' worth."

"His wife did say the only 2 people who knew that Roger was in the city were her and Copley "- Castle.

Neither of them is aware how they keep inching toward each other while their communicating.

"And guess what Copley drives" – Beckett.

"A dark sedan" – Castle.

The interview with Roger's partner turns up nothing other than the fact he was having an affair with Roger's wife. In fact the wife backed up Copley's claims that they were in the middle of sex at the time Roger was killed.

Going over Roger's financials one more time, Castle discovers that he made double payments to spy-adventure for his fantasy. Upon questioning the CEO it was discovered that not only did Roger pay for himself, but also the Long Island housewife.

Beckett and Castle head to her home to question her, especially after stating earlier that she never met him before. This time she comes clean… confessing that she and Roger hand been having an affair. Just then her husband comes home. Beckett questions him to his whereabouts the night of the murder and the fact that his dark sedan is currently in the shop. He then confesses to killing Roger.

_Later Beckett is going over the case with Montgomery._

"So, Roger was right about being followed that night" – Montgomery.

"When the husband got on to the affair he did a little spy game of his own, tracked down and killed his wife's lover" – Beckett.

"Hum, 2 affairs, a loveless marriage, it's sad a man had to die because all the people involved were too scared to say what they really felt" – Montgomery.

Beckett thinks for a minute then replies "Yes it is sad".

Just as Montgomery leaves, heading back to his office… Beckett eyes land on Castle talking on the phone. He starts walking towards her….

"Hey I got to run, I got to drive Alexis to Princeton but I will be back in time for that little surprise party the boys are throwing for me, (noticing something odd in the way she is looking at him)What? What?" – Castle.

"Nothing" – Beckett.

"Okay… I'll see ya" – Castle.

"Hm-mm" – Beckett.

As she watches him leave, she spots Demming talking to a co-worker heading for their break room and cappuccino machine. After thinking it over for what seems like an eternity she calls his number. Tom it's me, can you meet me at the coffee shop down on the corner in about an hour… there is something I need to talk to you about.


	3. Chapter 3

_Castle's Loft_

He enters the loft looking for his daughter… wondering if she is all packed and ready to get on the road. As much as he is thrilled about her going to Princeton over the summer, he knows he would much rather have her here with him. His sigh attracts Alexis' attention.

"Are you sure you're going to be ok" she asks. "This is the first time you're ever been alone for so long."

"I'm supposed to be saying that to you" he responds. "I did ask someone to come with me but it didn't work out and besides this will give me the time I need to finish Naked Heat."

Noticing the sad look on his face, "Dad… look I will cancel Princeton and come with you to the Hamptons."

"No, no, no… I don't want you to do that, this is a great opportunity for you… I couldn't ask you to do that."

Looking up into his face she knows he is no going to let cancel her plans for him, so she decides to change the subject. "Why did Beckett turn you down?"

Surprised by her question and honestly, totally be caught off guard the only thing that comes out of his mouth is "What?"

"Come on Dad… I don't know if you realize it but you can't go ten minutes without bringing her up."

He tries to hide his grin; God his daughter is too smart for her own good. Giving up on lying.. Knowing she will see right through him he responds: "Alright, I did ask Beckett to go with me for the weekend but she already had plans with Mr. Perfect – Demming."

"Who is Demming?"

"Exactly… Who is Demming?" seeing the confused look on his daughter's face he elaborates. "Detective Tom Demming is a robbery detective that worked with us on a case about a month ago and currently is Beckett's boyfriend."

Alexis thinks for a moment and then starts laughing…"Schlemming, from your book. That's really creative Dad."

All he could do is start laughing himself… for a writer you would think he could come up with something unique. Jealousy definitely rears up its ugly head.

When they finally calm down, she looks at him seriously and says "You should tell her how you feel about her."

"I wish I could pumpkin, but she seems happy and I don't want to ruin that for her. Plus I don't know is she even feels the same." Wanting to end this conversation he changes the subject "let's get going, the sooner we get you up there the sooner you can get settled."

_The Coffee Shop_

Beckett has been sitting at a table in the corner nursing her latte for over 30 minutes wondering where he is. She is just about to call him when she sees him enter through the entrance. He makes his way over smiling as he approaches.

She glares at him "I thought I asked you to meet me here over 30 minutes ago."

"I'm sorry Kate, I was talking to some co-workers and just lost track of time. I'm not holding you up for something important… are I?"

She sighs, she was hoping to get this over with and back to the precinct in time for Castle's party. She really needs to talk to Castle before he leaves for the summer. Turning her attention back to Demming, "we need to talk… I don't think I can do this."

Confused by this, he responds "it's not just the weekend we are talking about is it?"

Having a hard time looking him in the eye all she can say is "no."

Upset with her answer he repeats "no… is it something I said Kate? Something I did?"

"No Tom, you're great… you're really great and I really like you… it's just I don't think this is what I'm looking for right now."

"Kate, up until the other day everything was fine… we were doing great and both of us were looking forward to our weekend getaway. So don't tell me I'm great and you really like me then tell me this is not what you're looking for right now."

"I'm really sorry Tom; I don't know what else to say."

Angry and frustrated, he looks at her and says "What is it you're looking for Kate? Or should I say whom?

Her defenses kicking in she replies "what is that supposed to mean?"

"Really Kate, do you take me for a fool? You know exactly who I am talking about… Castle. I've seen the way he looks at you… and all it took was him leaving for you to break it off with me."

"Look Tom, I really don't know what to say…"

"There isn't anything else to say Kate; you've made your choice… I just can't believe you are picking a known playboy who will through you to the side once he gets what he wants."

Getting angry herself now Beckett goes off "Actually, I've made the right choice… you know nothing about Castle and everything he has done for me over the last 2 years." Standing up and heading towards the door, she turns and says "goodbye."

_12__th__ Precinct Break Room – Castle's going away party_

He sits at one end of the table surrounded by Captain Montgomery, Esposito, Ryan and Lanie. They are drinking cold beer, eating pizza and recalling stories about his time here at the 12th. He keeps glancing to the doorway looking for the one person missing from the party: Kate. He really wishes she was here, after his discussion with Alexis… he thinks it is only right to lay all his cards on the table and tell her what she means to him. Ryan breaks him out of his training of thought asking about Alexis.

He replies "it was very emotional… there were a lot of tears um…. Alexis was fine by the way.

This causes Ryan, Esposito, Montgomery and Lanie to break out laughing. Soon Castle can no longer hold it in and starts cracking up too.

As soon as everyone quiets down Esposito decides to get serious "I got to say Castle, we're going to miss you around here."

Suddenly feeling overwhelmed Castle looks around the table and comes back with "Yeah, I'm going to miss all of you too."

Trying to get the party back in the right direction, Ryan adds "so you are still leaving the coffee machine… right?"

He laughs "I can't have you suffer in my absence…"

Lanie decides to enter the conversation "Oh… we could really use one of those down in the morgue."

He turns to her, "no problem it will be delivered next week."

She doesn't know if he is pulling her leg or not, but this is Castle and she would not be surprised to find one Monday morning. She has also noticed his glances towards the door when he thinks no one is looking. She quietly says to herself "I'm going to slap that girl if she doesn't get here soon."

Keeping up with the laughs Montgomery states "with Castle gone, I just hope our clearance rate doesn't drop" Causing everyone in the break room to lose it.

After a while, Castle decides that Kate is not going to show. He guesses she either has plans with Demming or decided to go home and pack for her weekend away. He decides that now it is best time for him to head out a do the same. "Well as much as I enjoy all your company I thinks it time I get going." He goes around the table hugging and thanking them for making him feel included. As he approaches the door, he turns around "I'm sorry I missed Beckett, please tell her goodbye on my behalf and then adds see you all in the fall." He walks out the door towards the elevator.

Once Castle is gone the others turn towards each other… Ryan is the first to speak "I can't believe she missed his going away party, did you see how hurt he looked."

"I talked to her last night and brought up the possibility that this was indeed Castle's last case, maybe it was just too much for her" defended Esposito.

"Look I know Beckett, Lanie stated… and I know she would not have blown off Castle going away party… something must have come up".

Just as Montgomery was going to add to the discussion, Esposito noticed Beckett approaching… As she entered the break room he spoke up "Hey, what kept you… you missed your writer-boy."

Trying to mask how upset she really was about not getting here to talk to Castle, Beckett spoke as naturally as possible "Sorry, I got tired up with something that took longer than expected too. How long ago did he leave?"

Ryan looked at his watch "maybe 20 minutes ago, said to tell you that he was sorry he missed you and to say goodbye."

"Goodbye" she responds… maybe Esposito was right, maybe Castle isn't coming back in the fall. She thinks back to a conversation they had… Castle said "he preferred until tomorrow because goodbye seemed too permanent." This must be his way of letting her know he isn't coming back.

Just as she was about to come up with an excuse and head over to Castle's loft, Montgomery says "Beckett take a load off… sit down and enjoy some pizza and beer with us." Knowing she would not be able to get out of this she takes the seat next to Lanie that was vacated by Castle.

For the next hour Montgomery, Esposito, Ryan Lanie and Beckett reminisce about stories of Castle. Lanie glances over at her friend and notices that although Kate is trying to put on a good act that everything is fine… she can't hide it from her. Finally when the stories are dying down, she turns to her "Kate there is something I need your help with, Could you give me a hand?"

"Sure Lanie."

They get up and leave the break room heading for the Ladies room. Once inside and ensuring they are alone Lanie turns to her "Ok, now spill."

"What do you mean" Kate replies.

"I'm going to slap you girl…. You know I can tell when something is bothering you."

"Alright Lanie, I know you will get it out of me eventually… I broke up with Demming."

"Is that the reason you are upset?"

"No, the reason I am upset is because of how long it took to do and not getting back here in time to talk to Castle."

"Uh-huh" is all Lanie says.

"What do you mean uh-huh?"

"Let me get this straight… you are not upset because you broke up with your boyfriend, but because you didn't get to see and talk to Castle."

"Yes Lanie, after everything that has happened and finally seeing what everybody, including you, has said about what was right in front of me. I decided I was going to pull Castle off to the side and tell how I feel and ask if the invitation to go with him was still open."

"Then what are you waiting for, get your skinny butt out of here and head over to writer-boy's loft and tell him before you start thinking with that head instead of your heart."

"What about the guys back in the break room, what am I supposed to tell them?"

"Kate, don't worry about them, I'll let them know you were exhausted and decided to head home."

"Thanks Lanie."

"Girl, just make sure I get all the details."

"Lanie!"

_Castle's Loft_

He just arrived home feeling alone and somewhat depressed. Alexis was at Princeton, His mother was on tour, and the one person he wanted to see more than anything didn't even show up to his going away party. God, he was pathetic… pining after somebody that was happily in a relationship. He was supposed to be Rick Castle: rich, successful author and playboy extraordinaire. Able to get any woman he wanted. But over the last 2 years… that person changed. He no longer wanted any woman… just one, Kate Beckett. He'll admit when her first met her it was lust. But over that period of time… everything they been through together, her letting him in by telling him – her story… he realized it turned into something more (love) and he changed into a better man because of her.

Knowing he needed to get his focus off Kate Beckett and back on track… he headed to his room to start packing and getting things ready for the Hamptons. He had been organizing his clothes for about half an hour when he heard a knock on his front door. Not expecting anyone… he was almost tempted to ignore it. After the second round of knocking he made his way through the living room, kitchen and finally to the front door. As he opened it he was surprised to find a woman standing on the other side.

"Can I help you" offered Castle.

"Ricky, don't you recognize me?" she replied.

"I'm sorry miss but I have no idea who you are or how I know you."

"Tisk, Tisk, Tisk, I know it's been 8 years but how could you forget your wife."

"What do you mean my wife? What are you talking about?"

"Think about it love, I know I have for 8 long years after you had me committed." Then a devilish grin comes out.

Realization comes a minute too late for him; all he is able to get out of his mouth is "You". He feels it before his mind even registers what is happening. Burning pain hits him in his abdomen following 2 shots from the 22 caliber hand gun hidden in her right hand. Both of his hands grabbing his stomach, he looks down to see them covered in blood. He begins to stumble backwards before losing his balance all together and falling down landing on his back. He begins to lose consciousness, the lights slowly going out. He hears her slowly walking up towards him, thinking this is it…

But instead of finishing Castle off she bends over whispering in his ear "just remember… you are mine… you will always be mine." She then walks over to the phone dials 911' lays it on the counter and exits the loft.

Beckett is half way to Castle's loft when her phone rings. "Damn" she says seeing Esposito pop up in the caller id. "Espo, we better not already have a body".

"Kate" he starts, which is not good – the only time he uses her first name is when it is something serious.

"What is it?" is all she can say.

"We just got a call from dispatch notifying us they received a 911 call from Castle's loft." He hears silence from the other end of the phone.

"Kate?" he hears nothing and tries again this time a little louder "Kate". He tries something else… "Beckett".

Finally she is snapped out of her trance… "Sorry, I'm here and I'm about half way there. What do we know?"

"Not much, someone dialed 911 and they can hear what appears to be moaning. Uniforms have been dispatched and we were contacted."

"OK, I'll be there shortly."

"Ryan and I are just leaving the station and Montgomery was notified. We'll get there as soon as we can."

Beckett arrives is no time, flying by the doorman she decides not to wait for the elevator and sprints up the steps taking two at time. Arriving on his floor she slowly opens the door leading from the stairs. Gun drawn she peaks into the hallway noticing nothing out of the ordinary. He heart pounding in her chest as she makes her way to Castle's door. Finding it ajar she knows she should wait for back up – but this is Castle. How many times has he put his life in danger for her? She cautiously pushes the door open… what she finds makes her sick to her stomach. Panic is setting in…. facing in front of her is a pool of blood, and then there are tracks as if someone is attempting to pull themselves across the floor. Taking a deep breath, attempting to steady her nerves… she slowly follows the trail leading from the entrance towards the kitchen. As she turns the corner, what she finds causes her freeze as tears begin flowing from her eyes. Castle is lying in the corner unconscious, his shirt is drenched in blood and it appears he was able to make it to some towels attempting to apply pressure to his abdomen. Without clearing the remainder of the loft… she sprints to his side. She checks his pulse; happy to find one although it is weak, then rips open his shirt finding the gunshot wounds. She applies pressure with one hand while talking in her radio with the other.

"This is Detective Kate Beckett; I need an ambulance ASAP – 5th floor, corner of 23rd and Lexington. My partner is down with 2 gunshot wounds to the abdomen area, his pulse is weak and he has lost a significant amount of blood."

Dispatch responds back "ETA 10 minutes."

Beckett leans over next to his ear whispering to him "Castle stay with me, please don't leave me" over and over again.

**AN: Sorry to leave you hanging. Next chapter will be up soon. Thanks.**


	4. Chapter 4

_Castle's Loft_

She doesn't know when Ryan and Esposito arrived. She doesn't know when the paramedics arrived. All she can think about while kneeling over Castle applying pressure to his wounds is that _she can't lose him now. Not when she finally realized that she loves him. Not before she has a chance to tell him how she feels about him. Not until they have a chance to see where it could lead. And if she has any say in it… not ever._

Finally, Esposito pulls her from her train of thought. Grabbing her shoulder, "Beckett you need to let go and let the paramedics take over and do their job".

Turning, facing him, trying to hold back the tears threatening to fall… she answers him in a voice that is barely audible "sorry Espo, I guess I was kind of out of it."

Seeing that she is barely keeping it together, "don't worry about it, this is affecting all of us, Castle is one of our own."

"Thanks, so what do we know so far" she asks.

"Unfortunately, nothing replies Espo…. The door man doesn't remember seeing anyone or anything out of order. None of Castle's neighbors recall seeing anyone… most didn't even hear the gunshots. We will pull the video footage from the lobby and wait to see what CSU is able to recover from the crime scene."

Ryan walks up to them "they are getting ready to transport Castle to Presbyterian Hospital. "Do you want to go in the ambulance with him? Espo and I could bring your cruiser over to the hospital after CSU is finished processing."

She thinks about it, she definitely wants to go with him…. She needs to be with him. "Thanks Kevin, I appreciate it. If I hear anything before you guys get there I'll give you a call."

They both nod to her as she leaves the loft heading to the elevator with the paramedics. Once the elevator door closes Ryan turns to Esposito, "you better call Lanie and let her know what happened. Beckett is going to need her."

"Yah, I know… did you see her? If I didn't think she would knock me out… I would have hugged her." Esposito laughs. "I'm also going to tell her to stop by Becketts' apartment and pick her up a change of clothes. We don't want her scaring the other people in the waiting room being covered in Castle's blood."

While Esposito is talking to Lanie, Ryan suddenly gets a serious expression on his face, "Espo, I was just thinking… what about Castle's family? We know Alexis is at Princeton… but where is Martha?"

"I'm on it bro… I'll call Montgomery, maybe he can send a couple of uniforms to go pick up Alexis and bring her to the hospital. And tomorrow morning we will call Martha's agent and see where she is performing and get a message to her."

"Great, Ryan replies. Let's finish up here and get over to the hospital, I think Beckett is going to need all the support she can get."

_Ambulance_

Beckett sits in the ambulance next to Castle, finally allowing herself a moment to finally release those tears she has been holding in. Tracing patterns on the back of his hand with her thumb, she focusses on the slow steady beat of his heart monitor. She leans close to his ear, silently sobbing "Castle, you need to hold on… we're almost there. You can't leave me… I need you.

Just then the ambulance driver radios the hospital, "We are 3 minutes out with a 37 year old male, 2 gunshot wounds to the abdomen, possible internal bleeding and injuries, significant blood loss, weak pulse, weak heartbeat, blood pressure 85/43."

The ambulance pulls in front of Presbyterian's Emergency Entrance, as Castle is wheeled out a group of doctors and nurses come running out taking over for the paramedics wheeling him through the entrance, down the hall and into the first operating room. Beckett at his side the whole way until being stopped by one of the nurses, "I'm sorry miss this is as far as you can go. I'll take you to the waiting room area and be back to update you on your husband's condition."

Beckett nods, not really comprehending what the nurse told her. It hits her just after the nurse returned back to the O.R. "My what?"

_Waiting Room_

She sits there, head down, hands covering her face, elbows resting on her knees, sighing… the stares coming from the others waiting in the room a thing forgotten. She knows she not only looks terrible from crying, but also being covered with Castle's blood…. All the way up from her shoes to her hands. She doesn't know how much time has passed, but she feels someone kneeling in front of her placing their hands on her shoulders. Looking up Beckett finds Lanie and gives her a forced smile.

"Hey girl, let's go get you changed and cleaned up. Have you seen the look these people are giving you?"

"Thanks, Lanie… how did you know I needed a change of clothes?"

"Espo called me… said what happened, thought you could use my company and for me to stop and bring you some. Now tell me how you are doing."

Changing out of her bloodied clothes, washing the mascara off that ran down her face, Kate looks at her best friend and honestly answers her… "Lanie, one minute I am driving to his loft prepared to tell him how I feel, the next I'm kneeling over him in a pool of blood whispering for him not to leave me." Just then another round of tears hits her and try as she might she couldn't hold them back.

Lanie grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. "Shush, it will be okay honey. Writer-boy is a fighter, he hasn't given up on no matter how many times you threaten to hurt him or throw him out. I don't think him being shot is going to change it."

Smiling for the first time, Kate replies "you're probably right Lanie, in fact when he recovers he will bragging to me about his scars. Let's head back into the waiting room, hopefully we will hear something soon."

Two hours later and still no news, Ryan and Esposito have cleared the loft and now have joined Lanie and Beckett in the waiting room. Kate once again has her head in her hands and her elbows resting on her knees when she hears a familiar voice….

"Detective Beckett"

Looking up she replies "Alexis", then stands up and starts making her way to the teenager.

"What happened to my dad? I came back to my dorm room from meeting with Owen to find two officers waiting for me. All they would tell me is something happened to dad and they were taking me to him."

Kate takes a deep breath knowing there is no nice way to tell her, "Alexis, someone made their way into the loft and shot Cast… I mean your dad. They then placed a 911 call and we (pointing to herself, Ryan and Esposito) responded. I came with your father in the ambulance and he has been in surgery for the last 2 hours."

The teenager starts sobbing and quickly throws herself into Beckett. She returns the embrace and leads slowly stroking the young girl's hair with her hand whispering reassuring words in her ear. After getting her to calm down some, Beckett leads Alexis back towards the seats. Refusing to release her hold on the detective, Alexis continues to hold her hand and then rests her head against Beckett's shoulder.

Another 2 hours pass and Captain Montgomery and the Mayor now have joined everyone else in the waiting room hoping for some good news soon. Just then an older looking gentleman, dressed in surgical scrubs exits the O.R. doors and proceeds into the waiting area.

"Family of Richard Castle" he calls out.

Alexis jumps out of her chair pulling Beckett with her up to the doctor the only thing she is able to get out is "how is my dad?"

"I will get into that in a minute… first let me introduce myself, I am Dr. Preston and I performed the surgery on Mr. Castle. Mr. Castle is currently in critical but stable condition. He received 2 gunshot wounds to the abdomen area. The wounds caused damage to both his spleen and lower intestine as well as serious internal bleeding. We removed his spleen, were able to repair the damage to the intestine and stopped the internal bleeding. We are also giving him blood transfusions to help with the significant blood loss he suffered. Besides his injuries, our biggest concern for Mr. Castle is infection caused from the damage to the intestine. We have placed him in a medically induced coma to help with the recovery. Mr. Castle will be in ICU for the next 12 hours his condition under constant supervision. If all goes well he will be moved into a private room by tomorrow afternoon. Mrs. Castle, I can allow you and your daughter 15 minutes to see your husband. You both can then return tomorrow afternoon at which time friends and family may also visit."

Kate is about to say something to the doctor when Alexis squeezes her hand. "Thank you doctor, how soon before mom and me can see him?"

Doctor Preston smiles, "just give me a couple of minutes to make sure he is all settled and then I will send my nurse to get you."

This time it is Beckett who thanks the doctor. After he leaves, Beckett and Alexis return to the others. Everyone is smiling at them after over hearing their conversation. Esposito and Ryan say in unison "So Mrs. Castle what did the doctor say?"

Glaring at them she replies "it's obvious by your comments and the smiles on your faces that you heard exactly what Dr. Preston had to say about Castle's condition."

Esposito laughs "Of course we did, we just wanted to see what your response to being called Mrs. Castle would be?"

After a few minutes they all decide to head out, giving Beckett and Alexis their time to visit Castle. The Mayor tells Captain Montgomery to keep him informed of the progress of the investigation. Lanie hugs both Beckett and Alexis and tells them to call her if there is anything they need. Ryan and Esposito let Beckett know they will be in the precinct early going over CSU's findings and the video footage.

Now just Alexis and herself, Kate turns to the young girl… "After we visit with your father how about we pick up some Chinese food and head back to my apartment?"

Surprised by the detective's comment, Alexis looks at Kate curiously before commenting "Are you sure Detective Beckett? I know I kind of forced you into this when the doctor thought you were my mother. I just didn't want to be alone, I am aware you had other plans scheduled for the weekend. After we finish visiting with my dad, I could just call one of my friends and stay with them until tomorrow afternoon."

Not sure how much Castle informed his daughter of her plans, Kate replies "My plans were changed Alexis and please call me Kate. And you did not force me into this… there is no other place I would rather be. Your father is my partner and is important to me. I do not think you should be going through this by yourself… so I want you to stay with me."

For the first time all night, even with everything going on, Alexis gives Kate a small smile. "Thanks Kate, you do not know what that means to me."

Just then Dr. Preston's nurse comes into the waiting room, "Mrs. Castle, if you and your daughter will follow me I'll take you to your husband."

Alexis grins at Kate as they make their way down through ICU to Castle's room. Entering the doorway almost causes both women to sob. There lying in bed, looking white as a ghost, hooked to all sorts of wires, heart monitor beeping in the background lies the most important man in both these women's lives.

Alexis makes her way to one side of his bed, taking his hand, she whispers "Dad, I'm here, I know you can hear me. You need to pull through; you need to come back to me… You promised me you would always be there for me…. I love you."

Giving Alexis her time with Castle, Kate slowly makes her way to his other side. Taking his hand she holds onto it and begins to trace patterns with her thumb. When Alexis finishes talking to him, she leans over towards his ear. "Castle, you have to pull through this… you have people who love you and need you… Alexis needs you, Martha needs you… hesitating, and then adding I need you."

Beckett and Alexis make their way over to her cruiser. Getting inside and heading towards Kate's apartment… silence fills the car ride. No longer able to keep quiet Beckett starts "So would you rather stop somewhere for some Chinese or just head to the apartment and order in?"

Alexis thinks for a moment "I think just order in, if it's alright with you? With my dad's celebrity status… once word gets out the paparazzi will be out hunting for me."

Kate turns towards her, a concern look overtaking her "I didn't even think about that… until we get a hold of Martha… you are definitely staying with me now."

_Beckett's Apartment_

Kate unlocks the door leading Alexis inside of her apartment; she turns to the teenager "would you like to jump in the shower while I order us our food?"

Shyly looking around Kate's apartment, Alexis turns around to face Beckett "okay that sounds good."

Kate just thinks of something "Uh, Alexis do you need any clothes to change into to sleep in?"

Alexis smiles back at her "No, I'm good… I threw some into my bag before leaving Princeton."

She gets out of the shower and dressed just as their food is delivered. Making her way out to the kitchen, she takes a seat next to Kate. "If I didn't do it already, I just want to thank you for everything you have done for me and my father."

Caught off guard by Alexis' comment, Kate replies "you don't have to thank me Alexis. Look at everything your father has done for me…. After all, didn't he let me stay with you guys while looking for an apartment after my old one exploded?"

Alexis laughs… "Yah, but he also blamed himself for your apartment exploding in the first place."

Kate has to laugh at this also. Castle did blame himself for Scott Dunn targeting her… even though it wasn't his fault.

Once the ice is broken… the women continue to tell stories about Castle. Kate's mostly include cases they worked on… especially the one including mummies where he thought he was cursed. She tells Alexis how they played tricks on him (his chair, the espresso machine, etc.) causing to truly believe he was cursed.

Alexis' stories focused on how it was growing up with Richard Castle as your father. Causing Kate to laugh at some of the mischief he got himself into.

After a getting comfortable talking with Kate, Alexis decided to change the subject. "Kate, can I ask you a personal question?"

Thinking about it she replies "okay".

"I know you had plans with Detective Demming for the weekend, but at the hospital you said they changed…. What happened?"

She doesn't really want to discuss this with Castle's daughter before talking to him, but decides to answer her question "We broke up yesterday afternoon; I guess our relationship just wasn't what I was looking for."

Alexis ponders Kate's answer for a minute... "So, you have feelings for my dad?"

Kate looks over at her dumbfounded "What? How? Uh…. Alexis how did you come to that conclusion just from my answer?"

She laughs before replying "honestly it was just a guess, but thank you for confirming it."

Kate shakes her head "you know your father is right, you are definitely too smart for your own good. But, promise me you won't say anything to him about this conversation."

"Alright, I won't say anything… but how long are you going to wait to tell him?

She thinks about it before replying "right now I need to find out who did this to your dad, once that is out of the way… who knows… she says with a laugh.

As their conversation runs down and it turns late, Kate lets Alexis know that she is welcome to either sleep on the couch or with her in her room. Alexis thinks it over "I think I'll be just fine out here on the couch."

"Well if you need me for any reason at all, just come and get me."

They both turn in… not even 2 hours later; Kate hears her bedroom door open with Alexis standing in her doorway. "Alexis, is everything alright?"

"I'm sorry for waking you Kate… I had a nightmare."

Kate pulls back the covers, motioning for Alexis to join her. She hurries over the bed crawling under the covers, snuggling into Beckett's side. Kate slowly starts stroking the girls hair until she feels her breathing even out… knowing she has fallen back to sleep.

**A/N: Sorry for not posting in a while, been busy with work and family. Not totally happy with this chapter. Next chapter should be a little more exciting.**


	5. Chapter 5

_Beckett's Apartment_

She wakes up alone in bed, looking around asking herself: where did she go? Getting out of bed she heads towards the living room. That is when she finds her, in the kitchen, making breakfast for the two of them. She has her back to her and doesn't see her coming…

"Alexis, I should be the one making us breakfast not you. After all you are my guest."

She quickly turns "Morning Kate, hope you like pancakes… I was going to make bacon and eggs, but your eggs were expired and the bacon had mold growing."

Kate starts laughing hysterically causing Alexis look at her questioningly before finally asking "What did I say that was so funny?"

"I'm sorry Alexis it's just now you reminded me of your dad. Then she elaborates…. Back during the Scott Dunn case your father didn't want me to be by myself and stayed overnight on the couch to protect me (Alexis giggles at the thought of her father protecting the detective). Anyway in the morning I came out of my bedroom finding your dad making us pancakes for breakfast…. The funny thing is he wanted to make us bacon and eggs and said exactly the same thing word for word what you just said now."

Understanding what was so funny, Alexis starts laughing just as hard as Kate. After calming down she looks over at Kate and replies "thanks, I really needed that… with all that is happened it's good to get my mind off of things. And I want to thank you once again for everything you have done for my dad and me."

Kate makes her way closer to Alexis, embracing her in a hug. "I already told you… you don't have to thank me…. Both you and your father are important to me."

After separating Alexis looks up at Kate smiling… then adds "So, after we are done with breakfast, what is the game plan?"

"That is up to you" Kate answers. "I am going to go into the precinct to see how the boys are coming along with your dad's investigation. You can either come with me or stay here and take it easy. Then this afternoon we are heading back to the hospital to check and spend time with your dad."

She thinks it over for a minute "actually if it is alright with you I think I would rather go to the precinct."

"Okay, now let's go enjoy this scrumptious breakfast you made us and then head out."

_12__th__ Precinct _

Ryan and Esposito arrive at the precinct early… getting ready to go over CSU reports and the video footage from the loft… hoping they find something that will lead them to Castle's shooter.

Arriving at their desks the two detectives turn and face each other both say in unison "rock, paper scissors?"

Esposito counts "one, two, and three" and throws out a rock while Ryan throws out scissors. He smiles "ready, one, two, and three" and throws out paper while Ryan throws out a rock.

"Just not your day there Ryan" Espo replies, "I'll take the CSU reports… you handle the video footage."

An hour later Ryan hears Espo sigh, "I take it they didn't anything at Castle's loft? "He asks.

"Nothing bro… no finger prints, no DNA, not even any casings… whoever it was picked up their brass. Any luck with the footage from the lobby?"

"Nothing so far, Espo" Ryan responds…. He is just about to call it quits when something catches his eye. "I think I got something he calls out."

Esposito heads over to Ryan's' desk, leaning down in front of the monitor, "ok let's see what you got."

Both of them staring, watching, they see it. While George the doorman is assisting an elderly woman out of the lobby into a waiting car… a younger woman slides past him into the lobby heading straight for the elevator.

""Try stopping it when she is closest to the camera and then zoom in as much as you can" Espo tells Ryan.

"Got it" he says… "Well, this is probably the best angle we are going to get Javi."

"I don't know bro, it's not a very clear picture and she seems to know where the camera is keeping her head lowered,"

"So we are pretty much back to square one" is all Ryan can reply. "You know Beckett's not going to like this when comes in."

"Yah, I know Kev"

Just then an older gentleman enters the homicide floor and approaches Ryan and Esposito. "Can you tell me where I might find Detective Katherine Beckett?"

They both give him there most menacing look before Espo speaks up "and you are?"

"I'm sorry" the man replies "where are my manners? Let me introduce myself…. I am Mr. Alexander Barnes of the law firm of Anderson, Brown and Barnes. I am Mr. Castle's personal attorney."

Ryan steps in "Castle's personal attorney… is everything alright… I mean with Castle? Last we heard he was in critical but stable condition."

Mr. Barnes pack peddles "No, no, no… it's nothing like that…. I'm just here because I have some forms to go over with her and have her sign."

Esposito then answers "actually she should coming through the elevator any minute now, if you would like you could wait over in our break room."

"Thank you, Mr.?"

"Oh, I'm Detective Esposito and this is my partner Detective Ryan."

"Thank you detectives, I just want to let you know that Richard speaks highly of the two of you."

With that Mr. Barnes enters into the break room, taking a seat waiting for Beckett to arrive. 15 minutes later Beckett along with Alexis in toe exits the elevator, walking up to Ryan and Esposito.

"Hey guys anything new?" Beckett asks.

Esposito gives her a questioning look "I'm not sure… a Mr. Alexander Barnes is in the break room waiting for you."

"Who" Kate replies…

Before Espo can reply, Alexis answers for him "Mr. Barnes is dad's personal attorney."

"She thinks to herself…. _What can Castle's lawyer want with me?_

"Well I guess I better go see what he wants."

"I'll go with you Kate, maybe I could be of some help" says Alexis.

As their heading towards the break room, Ryan turns to Esposito… "While they're in their talking to Mr. Barnes… I'm going to get a hold of Mrs. R's agent so we can find out where she is and get a message to her."

"Good idea Kev."

Beckett and Alexis enter the break room, Mr. Barnes rising to meet them. "Hello Alexis, it's good to see you again and this must be Detective Katherine Beckett."

"Kate" she says "It is good to meet you too Mr. Barnes. Can you please tell me what this is all about?"

"Alexis" is his reply.

"What" came the reply from both women?

"Let me explain… a few months ago Mr. Castle came to my office and made some changes to his will. In the event that something happens to him, you, Katherine Beckett, are given fully custody of his daughter, Alexis Castle, and power of attorney over her finances until she reaches the age of 21."

Shocked is the best way to describe the reaction displayed by both Alexis and Kate.

"You want to run that by me again" states Kate. "Shouldn't custody be given to a family member like his mother or even Alexis' mother?"

Now Mr. Barnes is looking confused… "From what I understood, Mr. Castle already talked to you about this a couple of months ago… according to him he asked if you would look after Alexis if something happened to him and you agreed."

_Damn thought Kate, the mummies curse case… where Castle thought he was going to die. _"I'm sorry Mr. Barnes I didn't think Castle meant it at the time. " Glancing a Look over at Alexis, she replies "It would be my privilege to be her legal guardian."

"Okay then, I just need your signature on these 2 forms."

Once they are finished Mr. Barnes leaves and Beckett and Alexis head back towards Ryan and Esposito.

Espo nods to Beckett "You want to tell me what that was all about?"

"Later" she replies, "now tell me what we have?"

Both Ryan and Esposito sigh "Just an image of a female sneaking into the lobby, but it isn't the best and you can't make out any of her features."

"That's all we have? You have got to be kidding me, CSU didn't turn up anything?"

"Sorry Beckett, nothing" replies Espo.

Alexis is staring at the photo pulled up on the screen when something comes to her. "Detectives, did anyone check my dad's surveillance cameras?"

All three look at her and in unison reply "What? What surveillance cameras?"

Alexis starts smiling at them and then explains "years ago my dad really started having problems with stalkers. Retraining orders didn't always work, and without proof that they were actually violated… the police often wouldn't respond. So, dad had some surveillance cameras installed near the entrance. They helped but they stuck out and people were able to avoid them. But with the advances in technology, and dad being the kid he is… he purchased the new covert cameras and placed them from the entrance all the way through the living room."

"What do you mean covert surveillance cameras?" ask Beckett and then adding "Where?"

Alexis thinks for a moment…. "Let's see there are the surround sound speakers on the living room, the Clock in the kitchen, the smoke detectors near the entrance, kitchen and living room, and the thermostat facing the entrance door."

"Wow" Ryan replies… "That's a lot of cameras".

"Alexis, where do these cameras feed into?" asks Esposito.

She thinks for a minute, trying to remember what her father told her…"I'm almost positive his computer in his office. I think he said it automatically saves it to a file which it deletes every 3 days."

Kate turns to Ryan and Esposito about to say something when they reply "on it boss" and head for the elevator.

With nothing left to do but wait for the boys to get back to her with what they found. Kate looks over to Alexis "you know I meant what I said when we were talking to Mr. Barnes… I am honored your father chose me to look after you."

"I know" says Alexis "So, what do you think about heading out for lunch before heading to the hospital."

"Sounds like a plan, let me just quickly check in with Captain Montgomery and then we'll get out of here."

Alexis takes a seat in the chair normally occupied by her father as Kate approaches Montgomery's office. "Got a minute Captain" she asks.

""Hey Beckett, How is everything going with little Castle?"

She smiles "better than I thought it would, she is actually a great kid."

"So, is there anything new going on with Castle's investigation" he prods.

"CSU turned up nothing and the only thing the footage from the lobby could provide is that our would be assailant is a female. Ryan and Esposito are heading back to Castle's loft as we speak. Alexis informed us that Castle has covert surveillance cameras throughout most of his place. Hopefully they will be able to pull something from his footage."

"Sounds good, and Beckett I almost forgot to tell you that Castle was moved from ICU to his own private room. Per his honor the Mayor; Castle will have 24 hour round the clock protection with a uniform officer watching his door. I just sent LT over there now."

"Thanks Captain, I'm taking Alexis for lunch and then we will be heading over to Presbyterian."

_3__rd__ Floor Presbyterian Hospital (Castle's Room)_

After lunch at Castle and Beckett's favorite place – Remy's, Alexis and Kate exit the hospital elevator heading towards Castle's private room. She spots LT standing guard in front of his door.

"Hey LT"

"Hey Beckett"

"Let me introduce you to Alexis, Castle's daughter."

"It is an honor to meet you Ms. Castle… your father has told me so much about you."

Alexis blushes "Thanks, it is nice to meet you too."

After some more small talk with LT, Kate and Alexis enter Castle's room. Although still unconscious, Kate notices his coloring has definitely improved. He is no longer as pale as a ghost. It also appears that some of the wires have been removed,

Alexis moves over to his right side slipping into the chair next to him while taking hold of his hand. She whispers "You're looking better dad; soon you will be back up and about like your usual high strung self." This causes Beckett to chuckle. She was going to stand on the other side of Castle, hold his other hand, but decided to let Alexis have some privacy and chose the couch near the back of the room.

Waiting for Dr. Preston to come give them an update, Beckett excuses herself and steps out of the hallway to call Ryan and Esposito. She hits number 3 on her speed dial and waits for him to reply.

"Esposito"

"Hey Espo, so tell me you were able to find something from Castle's cameras"

"Oh, we definitely got something…. The whole shooting caught on tape… it was definitely the woman we saw sneak into the lobby. We are about to take it back to the station and print off stills with her picture and head over to visit Castle's ex-wife at black pawn to see if she can possibly identify her."

"That sounds great, just keep me informed… I'll be here at the hospital with Alexis."

"Hey before you go… Ryan and I just wanted to know how he's doing."

"We haven't heard from his Doctor yet, but he is definitely looking better than yesterday."

"Good, also I wanted to let you know we were finally able to get a hold of Mrs. R. She said the earliest she would be able to get back would be tomorrow evening."

"Alright Espo, I'll call you if there is anything new on our end."

"Sure thing Mrs. Castle" then both him and Ryan start laughing and end the call before she is able to reply.

About an hour later Dr. Preston enters Castle's room. "Good afternoon Mrs. Castle, I have some good news for you and your daughter. Your husband's condition is improving. There are no signs of infection which was my main concern. His blood pressure and heart rate are steadily climbing. And as you have already noticed his coloring has definitely improved."

After hearing her father's update some of the worry and strain have left Alexis, turning towards Dr. Preston she asks "Does that mean he should be waking up soon?"

He looks into the young girls face "Although your father 's condition is improving… he still needs time to let his body heal, that being said I do not expect to wake before some time tomorrow."

Kate can see the disappointment coming from Alexis. Although happy he is getting better, she too is disappointed. She so wants to see those dreamy blue eyes. She wants to be able to listen to his hypnotic voice. Even see his cocky smirk. Soon she tells herself…. Soon he will be awake…. Soon she will solve this case…. And soon she will tell him how she feels about him.

Kate and Alexis end up staying through most of the evening. Numerous visitors have made an appearance to check on the writer. Detectives, Officers, The Mayor, Lanie and even Kate's father Jim. Around 9 pm they decided to head back to Kate's apartment. Alexis leans over and kisses her father cheek. She whispers "I love you dad, I'll see you tomorrow."

Kate then slowly makes her way to his other side; she slowly runs her hand through his messy hair, fixing it the best she can. She leans down and whispers "until tomorrow, Rick"

**A/N: I know I said there should be a little more excitement with this chapter. I am sorry if a disappointed, but when I started writing it… I went where it took me. I promise next chapter should pick up.**


	6. Chapter 6

_Presbyterian Hospital_

He has been in the darkness for what seems like days. All he wants to do is open his eyes, but he can't. He has heard them talking to him (Alexis, Beckett, Ryan, Esposito, Lanie, Montgomery, the Mayor, etc.) telling him how much they love him, need him, to hang on…. If only he could answer them… but he can't the darkness won't let him not matter how hard he tries. He wants to hug his daughter and let her know he is fine, he wants to look into those green beautiful eyes of Beckett, he wants to see the brotherly banter of Ryan and Espo, he wants anything other than laying here staying in the darkness. Just as he is about to give up he hears her voice…. "Hello Ricky.

His mind races back to his shooting… he remembers answering the door, asking if she is lost or needs help. Then he remembers that evil twisted smile when she looked up at him. Her response, Hello Ricky, don't you remember your wife… and then he remembers…. eight years later but he still remembers. Then the gun shots, the pain from his abdomen…. For the first time in two days his eyes open and he jerks up yelling her name; Rebekah! He feels the pain shooting up from his stomach, but he doesn't care, he needs to get out of here…. he tears out his IV, the wires from his heart monitor and throws his legs over the bed attempting to get up. He is suddenly stopped as a nurse, two orderlies and a doctor come barging into his room. The orderlies re-secure him to the bed while the nurse hands the doctor a syringe which he injects into Castle's arm. He quickly calms down, eyes start slowly closing… a sedative, of course he thinks to himself before being pulled back into the dark.

_Beckett's Apartment_

She wakes and looks over at the clock: 8 am. She goes to move but finds something is holding her in place. Looking down she finds Alexis has snuggled up into her side sometime during the night. She silently laughs to herself. Who would have ever thought that the tough, no nonsense detective had a motherly bone in her body? And yet here she has been the past 2 days… caring, loving, nurturing, and comforting her partner's teenage daughter. She slowly nudges the girl… waking her up.

"Morning Kate" the teenager says, feeling slightly embarrassed at being cuddled up to the detective.

"Morning Alexis, you want to hit the shower first?" Kate replies,

"Um, sure… what are our plans for today?" asks the teenager as she gets out of bed and starts heading towards to bathroom.

"Well, I figured since you made us breakfast yesterday…. And the fact that other than my Styrofoam Temple, as your dad called it, there is nothing in my fridge, I would treat us. After that I need to head to the precinct and check in with Detective's Ryan and Esposito and find out what they have found out with regard to your dad's case. Once that is done, we will head to the hospital… hopefully your dad will be awake.

"Thanks Kate, that sounds great." Hesitating for a moment Alexis continues "um, I was wondering… I know my gram will be back today from her tour and she will be able to stay with me at the hospital, but I wanted to know if you are going to stay too… or are you going to head back to the precinct ?"

Kate is caught off guard by Alexis' question. The truth is she is torn, part of her has become attached to the teenager and although Martha certainly can care for her… Castle has given her legal guardianship and she doesn't want to leave her side. Not to mention she wants… no needs to be near him. The other part of her, the detective part, knows that with Martha there looking after Alexis… Kate can concentrate on finding the woman you shot Castle and bring this whole thing to an end.

After thinking it over Kate replies "I plan on being with you and Martha at the hospital, but if for some reason Ryan and Esposito need my help with your father's case… I may need to go."

Alexis smile back at Kate "That's what I was hoping you would say."

_The 12__th__ Precinct_

Detective Beckett and Alexis exit off the elevator onto the homicide floor. Just as they round the corner heading to Kate desk… they both stop in their tracks. Shocked would be an understatement…. There on her desk they not only find that her nameplate has been replaced from Detective Katherine Beckett to Detective Katherine Castle but also her desk is littered with fake wedding presents. Everyone starts clapping, causing both Beckett and Alexis to blush. Just then Karpowski approaches her and teases "So why didn't you tell us that you and Castle eloped?"

"Really, very funny…. Ha, ha, ha…. Now that you all had your fun, let's get back to work." She then sets her eyes on Ryan and Espo as they slowly make their way from the break room back to their desks with big smiles on their faces. "And you two are dead" she threatens.

" Come on Beckett "Esposito starts," you know we couldn't let that one go… especially after the doctor kept calling you Mrs. Castle."

She just glares at him then continues "So what do we have and what did you guys find out?"

Ryan answers this time "we have video footage of the shooting." Seeing the reaction on both women's faces. He looks over at Alexis "you can wait in the break room if you want."

Although hesitant, Alexis looks at all three detectives before responding "no, I'm okay… I need to see what happened."

They all nod and head over to Ryan's computer. He uploads the video footage from Castle's loft. He sighs and then starts playing the footage. They all watch as the see Castle head across his living room, through his kitchen as open the front door. There standing at his front door is the woman from the lobby. Although they cannot hear their conversation… they are able to see Castle's expression change. The woman raises her right hand, a handgun clearly visible. Castle grabs his abdomen area looking into his hands seeing blood he stumbles back and falls to the floor. The woman enters the loft, looks over Castle… saying something that can't be heard. She then picks up the phone, dials a number and leaves it off the hook… leaving the loft as quick as possible. After a few minutes you can see Castle starting to move and slowly drag his body in the direction of the kitchen. Ryan stops the video there. Alexis has tears running down her cheeks and Kate is fighting tears herself. Clearing her throat and gently pulling Alexis into a hug… she turns to the boys.

"Anything else?" she's able to get out.

This time it's Esposito who responds, "We were able to zoom in and print off a photo of our female suspect, and we took it over to Black Pawn and showed it to Castle's publisher (and ex-wife) Gina Cowell as well as her employees."

"And" Beckett replies.

""Nothing" Ryan answers. "Although Castle has had his share of stalkers… nobody recognized her."

Espo then adds "We also took the photo over to his agent Paula Haas" before she has time to ask, her continues "Nothing, Beckett."

Kate picks up one of the photos, taking it over to Alexis. The girl stares at it for a minute before shaking her head.

Captain Montgomery joins to conversation "alright let's get the photo out to the media as a person of interest, somebody has to know something."

_Presbyterian Hospital_

She enters the women's bathroom smiling at the reflection in the mirror. She thinks to herself…_so much for the so called police protection that is supposed to be protecting him. _She has been in his room three times already. Twice she was all alone and could have taken his life with no problems at all. The other time his daughter and that bitch of a detective where there. Then her smile turns into anger and hatred. Who the hell does Kate Beckett think she is… posing as Richard's wife? She is his wife and always will be, he belongs to her. Another woman enter the bathroom, Rebekah freshens herself up before turning to leave. The woman catching sight of her replies "good evening nurse."

A few hours later Kate and Alexis make their way to Castle's room. She hands LT a cup of coffee before entering. He smiles and she asks "anything new going on?"

"Actually Dr. Preston is in with him waiting for you, I'll let him do the explaining."

She looks at him before nodding, slowly opening the door to Castle's room… Alexis right behind her. As they enter, they find Castle awake… Alexis quickly runs over to him hugging him. Dr. Preston approaches her, "good afternoon Mrs. Castle."

"Is everything okay?" she asks

"Everything is fine… now, your husband woke up early this morning screaming, pulling out his IV, tearing away the wires to his heart monitor attempting to get up." He sees the concern on her face and continues "We gave him a sedative to calm him down… I think he was having flashbacks from his shooting. But that toppled with the pain killers his is taking have caused him for lack of a better word to be somewhat out of it."

Looking over at Castle, then back at Dr. Preston "what do you mean somewhat out of it?"

Taking a deep breath he responds "He is awake, responsive, but appears inebriated. "

"How long will that last?" asks Beckett.

"I would have to say… at least until this evening."

"Great "is all she can say. She finally has Castle awake but will probably not be able to get anything useful out of him.

Just then the Dr. turns to Castle and says "Mr. Castle, I bet you're happy now that your wife is here."

Castle turns his attention away from his daughter and looks at Dr. Preston and Kate. As he stares at her, looking somewhat confused…. Beckett thinks to herself _"here it comes; he is going to say something."_ To her surprise he says nothing, just continues looking at her.

Finally Dr. Preston asks "Don't you recognize who this is?"

Alexis holds her breath, looking at Kate giving her, her I'm really sorry for putting you in this position place… when Castle answers "yah, that my Kate"… he then smile at her.

Dr. Preston smiles and then leaves the room. Kate walks over to the other side of Castle. Even though she knows he might not be able to give her exactly what happened… she decides to try. "Castle", she starts "can you tell me what happened?"

He looks at her questioningly "What Happened?"

"Yes" she replies "At your loft."

"At my loft "he repeats.

"Castle… you were shot."

"I was" he repeats again looking himself over.

Alexis can no longer hold it together and starts laughing uncontrollably. Beckett joins in after a few minutes, and then Castle before he has to stop because of the pain. Kate decides she will wait until the sedatives wear off, before asking any more questions.

An hour later Martha arrives at the hospital making her way over to the nurses' station. "Can you tell me which room is Richard Castle's?"

The nurse looking her over asks "May I ask who wants to know?"

"I'm his mother, Martha Rodgers" she says.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Rodgers… he is in room 312. Your daughter in law and granddaughter are currently with him."

She thinks to herself _"My what?" She prays to God that it is not Meredith or Gina for that matter. _She then thanks her for her assistance and heads to Richard's room. After making her way passed the uniform police officer at the door, Martha enters through the door. What she sees surprises her. Richard is awake lying in bed with Alexis to one side of him and Kate on the other.

In unison come Gram, Martha and Mother from the three in the room. She smiles at them before replying… "I was informed my granddaughter and daughter-in-law were in here."

Beckett blushes and is just about to respond when Alexis jumps in "that was my fault gram, when the doctor came out after dad's surgery… he assumed Kate was his wife. I didn't want to see him alone… so before she could say anything… I called her mom and told her to come on."

Martha laughs before replying "well anyway I just wanted to say Kate, that you are my favorite daughter in law."

Both Kate and Alexis reply: gram and Martha at the same time.

Kate returns from stepping out to grab something to eat to find Castle alone in his room. She asks "Where's Alexis and Martha?"

"I sent them off to get something to eat, I could hear their stomachs growling" he laughs.

Then he gets serious "Kate, I just wanted to thank you and tell you how much I appreciate everything you have done for Alexis."

"Castle you don't have to thank me."

"No, no, no… look I know you had plans for a romantic weekend with Demming… and you put them on hold to take care of me and my daughter."

"Castle" she starts but he keeps talking.

"I promise I will make it up to both of you…. I'll let you have my Hamptons home for….." but before he is able to finish she crashes her lips to his. Stunned at first that she is kissing him, he regains his composure and starts kissing back. After what seems like an eternity… they both pull away.

The look on his face says it all: love but also confusion. She needs to straighten this out. "Tom and I broke up Castle."

"Why" is the only thing he can get out?

"He wasn't what I was looking for" she replies.

"Kate, what are you looking for?"

She takes a few calming breaths before continuing "Look Castle, I will answer your question and there are things I need to tell you… but not until we close this case."

"You are right, and there are things I need to tell you too Kate….After we close this case."

"So are you ready to tell me about what happened the night you were shot?" she begins taking out her digital recorder.

She sees his expression change to one of happiness to one of gloom. "Look Castle if this is too much for today we can wait until tomorrow."

"No, it's okay Kate just gives me a second." He stares out the window for minute before continuing "I just got back to the loft from the going away party. I started packing for the Hamptons when I heard knocking at the door. I answered it finding a woman I didn't recognize behind it. I thought she was lost or needed some help when she looked at me saying _Ricky, don't you recognize me…. I know it's been eight years but don't you recognize your wife._ I was about to argue with her when I realized who she was…. Before I could say anything else I saw the gun in her hand, heard the two shots and felt the pain in my abdomen. I noticed the blood, started feeling dizzy and fell to the ground. She started making her way towards me and I thought that was it… she was going to finish me off. Instead, before passing out I heard her say _you are mine, you will always be mine._ I came to a minute later and crawled into the kitchen trying to find something to apply pressure to my wounds." He stops talking as if he is deep in thought.

"Castle" she replies softly trying to get him to refocus.

He looks at her and then continues "Her name is Rebekah Castle, and no she is not my wife. Her name before legally changing it was Rebekah Reynolds. She started off showing up to all of my book signings. At first I thought she was nothing more than a dedicated fan. But then she started showing up at all the places I frequented. She even showed up at the park I took Alexis. I realized then that I had a stalker and took the necessary steps to place a restraining order on her. But she didn't stop… She showed up at the Hamptons house when I was vacationing with Alexis. I was upset and called the local police, but she left before they arrived. Later she showed up and the loft and even made her way into my book launch parties. The final straw was when she started sending threatening letters not only to me but also to me girlfriend at the time stating that I was hers and she needed to back away or else. After that, I had enough… I was friends with the police commissioner at the time and he assigned two detectives to me for my next book launch party." Castle stops talking and a shiver runs through him. But he pushes on "she crashed the book party and was caught by the detectives. They found a 22 caliber Smith and Wesson on her. When they questioned her at the station she said she was going to perform the ultimate sacrifice by killing me and then committing suicide."

Hearing this Kate leans over grabbing Castle's hand for support before saying "I think we have enough."

"I want you to know it all… I need for you to know it all" he states and then picks up where he left off "she was scheduled to go to trial for the stalking and attempted murder charges. But both psychologist for the defense and the prosecution diagnosed her with psychosis. The recommendation was that she be placed in Bellevue Hospital to receive inpatient treatment and then when she was declared well enough she would stand trial for the 2 offenses. I was asked to testify at her hearing… seeing how in my mind she was sick… I recommended she be sent to Bellevue Hospital but that the 2 criminal charges dropped. The court accepted this… and she was admitted. I would receive periodic notifications from the chief of psychiatric treatment regarding her condition. This continued until 3 years ago when changes were made to the board of directors. I haven't seen or heard about Rebekah until she showed up at my loft 3 days ago.


	7. Chapter 7

_Beckett's Apartment_

Her alarm goes off rousing her out of a perfectly good dream. She smiles remembering the image of her and Castle walking hand in hand on a beach. The sun starting to set as they turn towards one another, her green eyes fixed and to his beautiful cobalt blue ones… then embracing, leaning closer and closer until their lips meet. The kiss starts of slow before turning passionate. As they pull apart he tells her he loves her… she is just about to tell him the same… but her alarm went off waking her. Sighing, she tells herself soon. She passed Castle's information about Rebekah on to Ryan and Esposito last night. She is hoping they will have something when she gets to the precinct.

Hopping out of bed and heading for her shower she cannot get her mind off of Castle and the night she enjoyed with him and his family. After Martha and Alexis got back from dinner, they all sat around in his room telling funny yet interesting stories about her writer. Martha brought up some hilarious tales from his childhood. The best one was when Castle's fantasied himself as Sir Edmond Hillary climbing Mount Everest. He made about half way up the oak tree outside their rented apartment before he got himself stuck… needless to say the fire department had to come and rescue him.

Next, it was Alexis sharing some of the author's famous mishaps. Her favorite being the first time he tried to deep fry a turkey for Thanksgiving at their house in the Hamptons…. Smirking she turned to her dad and asked "How long did it take you to regrow the hair on your arms and eyebrows again?" Everyone broke out laughing.

Then the redheads turn their attention to Kate, saying "I'm sure you have some tales from the 2 years he has been following you around". Looking over at Castle, who in all honesty has been taking the teasing very well, she faces them and replies… "There have been plenty, but my favorite had to be the one where he actually believed he was cursed". "You should have seen his face when we rigged his chair to collapse with him sitting in it or the espresso machine the bomb squad toyed with before he went to make coffee." "My favorite though was when a dog bit him on the ass and then chased him out of the building and on top off a car." Castle just shakes his head and Martha and Alexis or almost on the ground rolling from laughter.

Visiting hour ending… Alexis and Martha asked her to stay with them in their suite at the Bentley… since the loft was being cleaned. She thanked them but let them know she needed to be up early to check in with Ryan and Esposito at the precinct but would see them in the afternoon. Sensing her son and the detective could use a minute alone… Martha turned to Alexis "you ready kiddo?" She turned to her dad hugging and kissing him goodbye. Once alone Kate turned to him grabbing his hand, "I'm glad you're okay."

Smiling up at her… he replied "I'm sure you could have found another annoying writer to follow you around."

"That maybe the case Castle, but there is only one that I care about."

He raises her hand to his lips kissing the back side before replying "until tomorrow detective".

Feeling shivers all the way down her body she returns "until tomorrow writer boy."

_12__th__ Precinct_

Ryan and Esposito have been busy at their desk trying to get as much information as possible on Rebekah Castle. They know Beckett will be here soon and want to know what they have found out. Sure enough, they hear the elevator dings, the door opens and they can tell she is heading for them without lifting up their heads just from the sound her heels give off the floor.

Esposito looks up "So how's the hubby" he asks?

She gives him one of her threatening glares, while Ryan chuckles to himself. Gathering herself she states "Castle is doing fine…So now tell me what'd we find out about Rebekah Castle?"

This time it is Ryan who responds "Well as Castle already stated…. She was committed to Bellevue's Psychiatric Ward 8 years ago for treatment from psychosis. According to her files… she was released 2 years ago after undergoing extensive treatment for 6. Both parents died 10 years ago in an accident and left a sizable inheritance to be split between Rebekah and her sister a Ms. Regina Reynolds. The sister leaves in a Condo here in Manhattan and runs her own business as a party coordinator. As for Rebekah, we haven't been able to locate any address or employment since she was released."

Thinking it over for a minute, Beckett turns to the boys "I want the two of you to go talk to the sister; I'm going to head over to Bellevue and talking to the doctor responsible for her release."

"Got it boss", they reply in unison and head off to the elevator.

_Bellevue Hospital_

She enters the waiting area of Bellevue's Psychiatric ward and proceeds towards the women sitting behind what appears to be the nurses' station. "Can I help you?" she asks.

As she pulls her Badge out she announces "Detective Kate Beckett, I need to speak to the head of the psychiatric department."

Looking over Beckett's shield the woman asks her politely to have a seat while she calls Dr. Simon Tam.

Beckett had been waiting for almost 15 minutes and is about to approach the desk again when the doctor appears out of the set of double doors. He is of average height and build, somewhere between 50 and 55 with greying hair and walks towards her with an air of authority…."Detective Beckett, my name is Dr. Simon Tam…. I am the head of Bellevue's Psychiatric Department. What can I do for you?"

"I'm here about a former patient…a Ms. Rebekah Castle." Beckett replies. "She is a suspect in the shooting of novelist Richard Castle."

"Yes I saw on the news that he was shot at his apartment, but how do you know it was her? Could be anybody?" Dr. Tam replies.

She can already sense from his reply that Dr. Tam is going to be difficult, but continues on "First, she was caught on camera committing the act. And Second, Mr. Castle has identified her as his shooter."

Surprised by Beckett's response, Dr. Tam asks "If you already know that she did it, what is it exactly you want from me?"

Beckett looks him in the eyes "You were the one who authorized her release, weren't you?"

Sighing, he replies "Yes, I came here 5 years ago and took over as head of the department when Dr. Jayne Cobb retired. I worked with Rebekah directly for 3 years…. In that time she made great strides and was the ideal patient. She took her medications, attended both group and private therapy session regularly and no longer showed sign of delusions or hostility towards Mr. Castle. It was my opinion that she be released. I forwarded my recommendation and the board of directors approved it".

Beckett shakes her head "What about Mr. Castle?"

Dr. Tam is confused "What about Mr. Castle? I don't get what you're asking… I was treating Rebekah Castle… not Richard Castle."

"I know who you were treating Doctor, what I am asking is why yourself or the board of director did not feel the need to inform Mr. Castle of her release?"

He is about to reply when Beckett cuts him off and continues "after all was it not the stalking, delusions, threats and attempted murder of Richard Castle that led to her being committed?"

Dr. Tam looks down at his feet before replying "you are correct detective, we should have notified Mr. Castle. But it is always easier to second guess yourself in hindsight."

Leaving Bellevue, Beckett pulls out her phone calling Esposito.

"Esposito" he answers.

"Hey, it's Beckett, what did we find out from the sister?"

"Well" he starts "Regina stated that Rebekah came to stay with her after being released from Bellevue. She said everything was fine in the beginning… she was taking her meds and attending her outpatient meetings with her psychiatrist."

"So what happened that caused a change?" Beckett asks.

Espo continues "Regina is not totally clear… she said about a year ago she started noticing little things. She started acting funny… disappearing for lengths of time, not attending her therapy sessions and not continuing to take her medications. Finally she moved out and Regina hasn't seen her since."

"A year ago" Beckett replies.

"Yeah" Espo responds… "Why?"

"Espo that is when Heat Wave was released, if she is off her meds and hasn't been attending her therapy sessions… she reverting back to her psychosis."

"So, what do we do?" he asks. "We have no known address, her sister hasn't seen or heard from her in a year, and nothing has popped with regard to her financials."

"We continue to keep a close eye on Castle to now include Martha and Alexis. We already have an officer assigned to Castle's hospital room… I'm going to check with Montgomery to have one assigned to their suite at the Bentley. Rebekah may come after them to get to him."

Espo responds "And if he doesn't approve one, Ryan and I will take turns watching them. Castle is like family to us."

_Presbyterian Hospital_

She has been watching the entrance to his room all morning. Laughing, knowing that the officer watching his door can do little to protect him. She is just waiting for her chance to make her move. His mother and daughter have been in there all morning. It's just a matter of time before they head out to lunch… and then she will pounce.

Castle has been enjoying the morning. His mother and daughter arrived around 9 am and have been keeping him entertained. Although happy, there is one additional female he wishes was here. He knows she has a job to do, and is working hard on his shooting… but he can't wait to see her beautiful smile. Lost in thought he hears his daughter ask "Dad, did you not just hear what I said?"

"Sorry Alexis, I guess my mind was elsewhere."

Martha pipes in "And I know where or should I say whom it was on."

"Mother" he replies.

"Oh Richard, you can't fool me…. I saw the way you couldn't keep your eyes off detective Beckett last night. You really need to tell that girl how you feel."

"Yeah, dad… you should." Repeats Alexis.

"I appreciate the way you both are looking out for me, but what is going on between me and Beckett is our business."

"At this rate… Alexis will be married and have children before either of you do anything" Martha quips.

"Hey, I resent that…. And for your information I do plan on talking to Beckett about us after we close this case."

"It's about time" both Martha and Alexis reply.

"Anyway, you both have been here for quite a while… why don't you guys head out a grab some lunch?"

"Okay kiddo, we will be back in a little while… Do you want us to grab you something?

"I'm fine mother… I'll see you both in a bit."

As Martha and Alexis exit his door… she sees her chance. She waits until she sees them enter the elevator and then she makes her move. Checking her pocket making sure the syringe is still there, she slowly crosses the hall. She stops to greet the officer posted at his door before entering. "Good afternoon Mr. Castle" she says.

He looks up seeing a nurse enter his room. He knows most of them by name now, but this one he doesn't recognize. "I'm sorry nurse, I don't remember your name." he states.

"That's alright Mr. Castle… you can call me Regina, I'm just here to check your bandages and Dr. Preston prescribed more antibiotics for you."

Thinking nothing of it he watches as she pulls a syringe out of her pocket and injects it into his IV. She then proceeds to look over his wounds. After a minute he starts feeling funny… "Excuse me Regina, but something is wrong."

She turns towards him… finally letting him get a good look at her face. She sees the horror in his eyes. He tries to speak, move, anything… but he can't.

"Ricky" she starts "It's no use trying to do anything I have injected you with Mivacurium. It takes only 90 seconds to kick in and causes temporary paralysis for up to 18 minutes. Can't have you calling for help… Can I?"

He sits there frozen in place… even though he is unable to respond he hears everything she says.

She continues… "Eight years Ricky… 6 years spent in that asylum fooling Dr. Tam into believing I was better so I could be released… 2 years watching, waiting, planning this so that we could be together again. I watched as Alexis left the loft and went to school. I watched as Martha went about her daily outings with her friends. And I watched your Detective Beckett leave the precinct and head to her new apartment. I know you have feelings for her… after all I read Heat Wave. You don't want anything to happen to her? Do you? You need to send her away… I waited 8 years to have you to myself… I won't let some pretty detective get in my way… Remember that!"

Before leaving his room, she bends over placing a kiss onto his frozen lips and repeats "you belong to me….forever."

She leaves his room, smiles at the officer as she passes and continues to the elevator. She knows she only has around 2 minutes left before the drug will wear off and doesn't want to risk Ricky calling out for help. Once on the ground floor she heads to the rear exit, straight out the door, removing the blonde wig off her head and tossing it into the trash can and disappears.

Castle feels the paralysis wearing off a few minutes after she leaves. His first thought is to yell for the officer at his door, but decides against it. He is torn… he wants Rebekah caught, but at what costs. She literally threatened all the women he loves: His daughter, his mother and Kate. He cannot bear any of them getting hurt because of him. He knows what he has to do… they may not like it… but at least he knows they will be safe.

**A/N: Hope you have been enjoying the story so far. Sorry to leave you hanging. Next chapter will be up soon… Any ideas what Castle is going to do? Stay tuned…**


	8. Chapter 8

_Presbyterian Hospital_

Martha and Alexis have finished their lunch and are returning to Castle's room. Entering they can tell that something has definitely changed in his demeanor from the time that they had left. He was happy and smiling and now he is just staring out his window with a look of determination. Alexis speaks first trying to break the tension…. "Is everything okay dad?"

Castle knows what he is about to say is not going to go over well with His mother and daughter, but he needs to make sure they are safe. Taking a deep steadying breath he begins "Alexis... mother…. I want both of you to head to the Bentley, pack up a bag and head up to the Hamptons until I say it is okay to return."

"What" they both reply in unison?

"Dad, I'm not going to the Hamptons…. I'm not leaving you…. What is going on?"

Martha continues "Really Richard… I just got here…. What has gotten into you?"

Castle's expression remains serious as he responds "Look, I can't get into it right now… but I need you to both do ask I say."

"Dad, you're in danger again aren't you? I'm not going anywhere…. You can't make me leave."

"Alexis… I know I don't always act like it but I'm still your father and you will do what I tell you."

Fighting to hold back the tears threatening to fall, Alexis turns storming out of his room… needing to get out of there is soon as possible.

When she leaves, Martha addresses her son "now what is really going on here?"

"Mother, like I said I don't want to talk about it right now… you just have to trust me and know that what I am doing is for both of your protection."

Leaning over placing a kiss on his forehead, she states "I hope you know what you are doing kiddo?"

Alexis is heading down the hallway towards the ladies room when she hears her name being called. She turns to see Kate coming off of the elevator. Overcome by her emotions she runs to her, embracing her as the tears start to flow.

Beckett is hit with a wave of fear… "Alexis, what's the matter? Did something happen to your dad?"

She continues to sob and is unable to reply. So Kate continues to embrace the teenager as she leads her to the ladies room. Once inside and out of the prying eyes of others… she finally is able to get Alexis to calm down.

"Kate, I don't know what is going on with him. This morning everything was going great, but when we got back from lunch it all changed. All he would tell me and gram was that we were to head to the hotel, pack a bag and make our way to the Hamptons until he tells us we can return. "

She processes what she has been told, "Alexis, I know you are upset right now, but I have a feeling your father would not send you or Martha away without a good reason."

"I know that Kate, but what if he is in danger again? Rebekah is still out there…. What if she succeeds this time and takes him away from me? My dad is the only one a got."

"Alexis, I promise I will not let anything happen to your father."

Smiling she replies "thank you Kate… I know you will. "She hugs the detective one last time. " I better go find gram, she's probably looking for me… I kind of stormed out of dad's room."

After saying goodbye to the teenager, Beckett heads off to Castle's room. She greets the uniform officer before she enters the room. Upon entering she finds Castle on his phone in the middle of some sort of conversation. He looks up at her and motions with his finger that he should be off in a moment. She cannot tell who he is talking to but can hear his reply… "Well thanks I appreciate it and I will definitely make it up to you and your department the next time I come up." Ending the phone call he turns his undivided attention to the beautiful brunette detective.

She starts the conversation "So, tell me what is going on Castle?" Unaware of her conversation with Alexis he tries to act surprised by her comment.

"What do you mean Beckett?"

Not in the mood to play this game she gives him one of her patented investigation glares… causing him to gulp before she continues "Then explain to me the conversation I had with your distraught teenage daughter…. If nothing is wrong then why are forcing her and Martha up to the Hamptons?"

He takes his time responding, trying to phrase his words in a way that will not let the detective see through his bull. "Kate, there isn't anything wrong…. With everything that has happened I just thought it would be a good idea for them to stay in the Hamptons until we have Rebekah in custody."

She stares at him, looking him in the eyes, she can tell there is some truth to his reply but he is also hiding something. "Castle, cut the crap… this is me you are talking to…. You know I can tell when you're not telling the whole story."

Refusing to look her in the eye he sighs "I just want them to be safe… In fact it might not be a bad idea for you to go there with them."

"Castle!"

"Please Kate"

"Castle I'm not going to run off to the Hamptons."

"K-A-T-E", he drags out.

"I said no Castle, know you are going to quit trying to get me to leave and tell me what happened this afternoon. I don't lie to me because your daughter already let me know that everything was fine until she and Martha returned from lunch."

Keeping his head down again he begins "I just don't want to see another psychopath try and hurt you because of me. During the Dunn case… when I saw your apartment blow up, I thought I lost you. My heart broke and all I could think of was this is all my fault."

Caught off guard by his honesty, Kate takes hold of his hand and forces him to look up so their eyes will meet. "Castle, I already told you once that everything that happened during the case was not your fault. Dunn would have focused on someone else and we would never have caught him. Not only do I not blame you, but you saved my life repeatedly. It was you who figured it out that he was still alive and warned me in the nick of time. It was you who risked his on safety… breaking down my door and rescuing me. And it was you who shot the gun out of his hands before he was able to end my life. So, please quit blaming yourself and talk to me."

Seeing the truth in her eyes, he feels some relief. He is glad that she doesn't blame him for Scoot Dunn, but he still feels some responsibility for her safety. He breaks eye contact with her, and stares out towards the window. Beckett feels as though he still doesn't believe her and is about to shut her out when he continues "She was here."

"What, When, How" is all that comes out of her mouth?

"After Alexis and mother left… a nurse came into my room saying she needed to check my bandages and administer a syringe of antibiotics. It was Rebekah; she was wearing a blonde wig and the uniform… so she wouldn't be noticed. She injected the drugs into my IV… A little over a minute I started to feel funny and then all of a sudden I was paralyzed. I couldn't talk or move or anything. And then she started talking… telling me about spending six years in Bellevue until she fooled her doctor into believing she was better, telling me how the last 2 years she was watching not only me but also those who are important to me. Her plans to get me back, she made threats against everyone I care about Kate: Alexis, Martha and … you." Taking a minute to gather himself he finished "Then she kissed me, telling me I belonged to her… forever."

They are still holding hands as she is trying to process everything he has told her. Her first reaction is fear… but not for herself, for Castle and his family's safety… then anger, how could she get to Castle not once but twice (especially while he is supposed to be protected). She can feel his eyes back on her waiting for her response.

"The first thing we are going to do is speak to Dr. Preston and get you released today. You are going to stay with me where I can protect you at all times - my place until we put this bitch behind bars where she belongs."

To say he is surprised is an understatement… Sure he has seen Kate pissed off before (especially at him), but he has never seen her so angry that she has cursed. Add to that she also told him he is going to be staying with her… he can't help himself a smile breaks out from ear to ear. He thinks it must be contagious because when he looks over at her – she as one to.

"Okay" he states "once we get Dr. Preston to release me, let's head to the precinct. I need to look over everything you guys have been able to find on Rebekah. I also want to see Ryan and Esposito… haven't had a chance to see them since my shooting and I think we are all going to need to work together and come up with a plan to catch her."

"Castle, are you sure you want to head to the precinct? With the pain and your injuries… wouldn't it be better if we just headed over to me apartment and have the boys come over and bring the information with them?"

"Kate" he wines "I have been stuck in here for 4 days dealing with the pain… I want to head over to the precinct so I can get back to my mindset and focus on the case."

"Alright Rick, let he head out to the nurses' station and have them page your doctor and have him come to your room. I feel it is going to be a battle getting him to release you."

"Rick" he questions?

"Yeah Rick, do you have a problem with that?"

"No… not at all Kate" he smiles.

"But Rick, when we are at the precinct… it is still Castle and Beckett."

"Got it" he says.

Twenty minutes later Dr. Preston enters Castle's room. "So Mr. Castle what can I do for you?"

"I wanted to thank you for saving my life" Castle starts "but do to recent events…. I want to be released immediately."

"I do not think that is a wise decision Mr. Castle. Yes you are healing and there have been no signs of infection post op, but your body still needs time to heal and rushing it could lead to a relapse." He then turns to Beckett trying to get her to back him "Mrs. Castle, what is your input on your husband's decision?"

Castle has to hold back a laugh… hearing Kate addressed as Mrs. Castle. She is just about to yank his ear forgetting the doctor's question. Recovering quickly, instead of reaching for his ear she lowers her hand and interlocks fingers with him.

"I agree with my husband Dr. Preston. My daughter and I miss him and we prefer to have him home where we can keep our eyes on him."

Seeing that both of them will not change their minds Dr. Preston gives in "Although I do not totally agree with it, I will sign your husband's release papers. Make sure he continues taking his antibiotics and pain killers as needed. He needs rest and relaxation, nothing strenuous and no sexual activity for at least 2 weeks." They both nod as he heads out the door.

Once he leaves the room Castle breaks out laughing "here that honey… no sex for at least 2 weeks."

Kate starts blushing and before she can think about punched Castle in the arm.

"Ow that hurts, hey I'm injured here" he starts.

"Shut up Castle, you're lucky I just hit you and didn't take out my gun and shoot you for that comment."

"Come on, you couldn't tell me that you didn't think it was funny?"

She just laughs and shakes her head (of course she thought it was funny…but she wasn't going to let him know).

Forty minutes later with his release papers signed, he is dressed and impatient. _Why can't he just walk out of the hospital? Why do they need to wheel you out in a wheelchair? _ Beckett has already headed out to move her Crown Victoria in front of the hospital. He has called both Paula and Gina to let them know about his release… both wanted him to do a press conference, but said no and he would do it at a later time. Just as he hangs up his orderly is at the door. He hops of the bed, cringing slightly from the pain from his abdomen, and sits himself in the wheelchair. Getting bored with how long it is taking him: he tells the orderly "I'll give you twenty bucks if you speed this thing up." The gentleman just laughs, but continues at his pace.

Finally reaching the outside in what seemed to take forever… the man stops the wheelchair and states "Here we are Mr. Castle?"

Thanking him, Castle still tries to give him the twenty bucks. He smiles and refuses as Beckett is wondering what is going on. Getting into the car she finally asks "what was that about?"

"Let's just say he was not setting any speed records in there and I was trying to entice him to move a little faster."

Laughing at him she responds "only you Castle."

He whispers back "it better be" as they head off for the 12th.

**A/N: Things should start picking up somewhat. I hope you have enjoyed the story so far.**


	9. Chapter 9

_The 12__th__ Precinct_

Ryan and Esposito are at their desks looking over what little information they have with regard to Rebekah Castle frustrated by the lack of progress in the case. They relook over her financials and their field notes from the interview with her sister… but come up empty. Ryan turns towards his partner announcing "I wish Castle was here with one of his off the wall theories to help point us in the right direction."

"I know what you mean Bro, I miss it too. Maybe we should head over and check on him and Beckett, see if they can see something we're overlooking."

"Yah just let me put this file away and then we can get going."

Just as they are about to leave they hear the elevator ding followed by the sound of applause. They look up to see the two in question making their way over to them. A smile breaks out over both their faces. It is good to see him not only up and about but also back in the precinct. It is hard to believe he was shot twice just four days ago. As Beckett walks in front of him, Castle stops to chat, shake hands and even receive hugs from the other officers. He feels like he is home and has to fight off tears over the display of affection he is receiving.

Arriving at their desks Beckett asks "So, where you able to find anything new?"

Espo takes the lead "Nothing boss, we're stumped."

Ryan adds "we were actually about to head to the hospital to see you guys and see if maybe the two of you might be able to come up with something."

Before she is able to answer Castle finally makes his way to the three detectives "Hey fellas did you miss me?"

Ryan teases "No not really."

While Esposito adds "We were actually able to get some work done without you here annoying us."

Castle starts to pout while the others laugh. "Of course we missed you bro, we were just telling Beckett we were just about to head over the hospital to see the two of you and ask for some help."

"Help" Castle replies.

"Yah" Ryan adds "We at a dead end and figured maybe one of off the wall theories could lead us in the right direction."

Beckett breaks in "guys why don't you fill Castle in with what you have. I'll just need to brief Montgomery and check with Lanie on something."

Once she is out of range Espo asks "So, Castle tell me how things are going with Mrs. Castle?"

"Oh…. You heard about that."

"Heard about it…. We were there in the waiting room when it happened. You should have seen Beckett blush."

After sharing a laugh, Ryan continues "But in all seriousness it is good to see you looking so well. I didn't think you would be released so soon…. Aren't you in a lot of pain?"

Thinking it best to wait for Beckett to return to inform them of Rebekah's hospital visit, He answers "I'll explain all that once Beckett gets back. Why don't the two of you fill me in on what you have so far?"

_Captain's Office_

Knocking on the door she hears Montgomery shout "Come in".

"Beckett I am surprised to see you here today I figured you would still be at the hospital with Castle."

"I was sir, actually we are both here… he is being briefed by Ryan and Esposito."

"How did he get released from the Hospital? A gunshot wound like his… you're usually looking at a minimum of two weeks."

"That's why I'm here captain…. There was a second attack by the Rebekah Castle in the hospital."

"What…How? I had an officer non-stop manning his door for the last four days."

"She was disguised as a nurse, got past the officer, drugged Castle with something that paralyzed him and then proceeded to make threats against his family (and me). So we came up with a plan to get him released and he is going to be staying with me until we catch her."

Montgomery thinks it over before making his decision "okay, but until we catch this psychopath there will be a protective detail watching your building at night. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir" she responds.

_Medical Examiner's Office_

Lanie is finishing up the examination on her latest body when she hears somebody enters the morgue. She looks up and has to do a double take when she notices it is non-other than Kate Beckett. "Girl I'm going to smack you… what are you doing here?"

'Well it is nice to see you too Lanie. Am I not allowed to come down and talk to a friend I haven't seen in a few days?"

"No, I'm glad to see you… just a little surprised is all. I figured you would be at the hospital with writer-boy."

"I am with Castle… he is upstairs talking with Ryan and Esposito."

"What do you mean his is upstairs talking with Ryan and Esposito? Kate, what is he doing out of the hospital? He suffered severe trauma to his abdomen… there is no way his doctor should have been talked into releasing him."

"Lanie" Kate starts "if you will be quiet for a minute I will explain everything to you." She then proceeds to tell her all that has happened; Rebekah's second visit, the threats against her and Castle's family and their plan to have him stay with her.

"Kate, let me get this straight…. Castle, for lack of a better word, was attacked a second time and you still have not told that man how you feel about him?"

"Lanie, I told you we both agreed to wait until this case is closed before going there."

"Just answer me this… what if this Rebekah came back and finished the job on Castle in the hospital? Would you regret not getting a chance to tell him you love him?"

Kate thinks in over for a few minutes before answering "Yes I would regret it."

"Then don't wait any longer girl, him staying with you is the perfect opportunity. Don't let it slip away."

"I won't"

"Promise me Kate"

"I promise Lanie, I'm done running from this."

"That a girl, now you better get back up to your writer-boy before he thinks I kidnapped you."

_Homicide Floor_

Beckett comes back from the morgue to find Castle in his normal seat staring at the file he has placed in front of him.

"Where are Ryan and Espo?" she asks.

"I sent them on a coffee run, although I'm not allowed caffeine – I figured you could definitely use some after drinking that nasty stuff they call coffee in the hospital."

Looking up he receives one of those smiles she reserves just for him and replies "thank you Castle that was really sweet."

"Anything for my favorite detective" he responds.

"Thinking for a moment she asks "So how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine"

"Castle, don't lie to me… I can see you grabbing for your stomach every so often."

"Beckett, yes I am in pain… but it's nothing I can't manage."

"Well if it gets worse let me know, we can head home?"

God does he enjoy the sound of that… home. He could spend every day for the rest of his life with this woman. Does he really want to wait until this case is over to tell her he loves her? What if Rebekah gets to him again and this time he doesn't make it? No, he needs to tell her… needs to let her know how much she means to him. He will wait until they are alone at her place and use the opportunity before it passes him by. He is so caught up in his thoughts he doesn't hear her calling him.

"Castle"

"Castle"

Finally on the third attempt he shakes it off and looks at her. "What did you say?"

"Are you sure you're okay Castle?"

"Yes, sorry about that I was just thinking about something with regard to the case (hopefully she won't see through his lie). What was it you were saying?"

"I was telling you about briefing Montgomery, but what was it you came up with?"

Damn he thinks; he wasn't expecting her to call him on it. He gets lucky as Ryan and Esposito return with coffee for them, a latte with two pumps sugar free vanilla for Beckett and a bottle of water for him.

"Thanks guys" Beckett replies when being handed her cup. "It's a good thing you got back… Castle thinks he may have come up with something."

_Shit. _He curses to himself… he was hoping she would forget what he said. Taking a moment to gather his thoughts while quickly glancing over the files he responds "I know we have talked to the sister and her doctor from Bellevue but his anyone checked to see if she was close to anyone during her stay there… maybe another patient or even a nurse?"

Ryan and Esposito look at each other shaking their heads… "It's good to have you back bro… we didn't think about that. We'll head over right away."

Castle holds up his hand motioning for them to wait a minute. He turns to Beckett "Before they head out, let's fill them in on the hospital and our plans."

"You didn't tell them while I was out?" she asks.

"No, I thought it would be better if you were here…. I didn't think they would believe me when I tell them I am staying at your place."

After being briefed Ryan and Espo head over to Bellevue while Beckett and Castle decide to call it a day. They stop at his loft long enough for him to pack what he needs. On the ride over to her place she asks "Is there anything special you would like to order for dinner?"

"Whatever you're in the mood for is fine with me" is all he says.

"Chinese sound good then."

"Need to add to your Styrofoam temple?"

"Shut up Castle, I promise when I get to the store I'll cook."

"I'm just teasing Kate…. You don't have to cook for me, I'm fine with takeout."

"I know that Rick, but I want to."

She looks over giving him a beautiful smile before turning her eyes back on the road. Smiling back at her… he cannot keep his eyes off of her. Before he knows it, he hears "It's still creepy" come from her.

"What is" he asks?

"The staring Castle, it is still creepy."

"Sorry Kate, but it is hard to take your eyes off of something so beautiful" he responds before his brain can filter his mouth_. Damn it… did I just say that? What was I thinking? I better apologize before I scare her off._

Before he is able to say anything, Kate looks over at him, her cheeks flushed forcing out "Thank You Rick… you are not so bad yourself."

_Wow… he thinks to himself, did Kate Beckett not only accept my compliment but also offer me one in return? _He can't help himself "Who are you and what have you done to the real Kate Beckett?"

Giggling she turns to him "Maybe I'm finally letting you see the real me."

He is at a loss of words. How can he be at a loss of words? He is a writer damn it. She is showing him the real her and he can't come up with anything… come on stupid say something, anything he thinks to himself. "Thank you Kate."

The rest of the drive to her place is met with silence, but a good silence. They continue to sneak glances and smiles as one another. Once inside, she orders their dinner before giving him the grand tour. It is a beautiful apartment; similar in layout and size to her other one. He glances over to her book shelves noticing most of his books. She sees him looking and adds "I use to have all of them."

He knew privately she was a fan girl, but this is the first time she has admitted it openly. "So what happened to the others?"

She turns her head away from him before replying, knowing he will blame himself for it. "Um… they were lost in the explosion."

He thinks about it for a minute…. "I'll replace him, I'm sure I have some extra copies lying around somewhere."

"Castle, you don't have to do that."

"Kate, the reason you lost them is because of me."

"Rick, how many times do I have to tell you it wasn't your fault?"

Before they can continue their argument, her doorbell buzzes letting them know their dinner has arrived. She turns to head for the door but Castle is quicker… answering the door and paying before she has even grabbed her purse. She glares at him as he turns around to face her…. "You know I can pay for our food after all you are my guest."

He shrugs and gives her one of his patented smiles causing her to just shake her head at him. They decide to eat sitting on the couch side by side rather than at her kitchen table. They start off talking about the case and before long it turns personal. She asks him about his failed marriages and how his playboy image came about. He tells her about Meredith's cheating and how Gina liked the idea of being married to him rather than what it takes to make a marriage work. He then goes on to tell her that he invented the playboy image in order to sell books after his divorces. He admits that although most of the stories out there are just that; he can't deny the fact he was a womanizer up until he started following her. He asks about her wild child faze and what her honest opinion was of him when the first met. She tells him about getting her tattoo (although not disclosing its location), her motorcycle, and her grunge rocker boyfriend. She then informs him she thought he was an arrogant, annoying, immature jackass… but then adds although still annoying you have changed and I enjoy having you around. Their eyes locking he feels this is the moment to tell her…..

He starts "Kate, there is something…."

Right at that time her cell phone goes off… she holds up her hand telling him to give her a second, looking at the caller ID seeing Esposito's number she answers "Beckett."

"Hey boss, so how are things going with the newlyweds?"

"Espo, if that is why you are calling me I'm going to kill you."

"No, no I just wanted to give you an update, your boy's theory has turned up something. During her time at Bellevue Rebekah Castle became good friends with another patient named Tracy Thompson. And get this… she was released just one month before Rebekah. Ryan's pulling her info now. Do you and Castle want to meet up with us tomorrow morning to interview her?"

"That's great" replies Kate "We will meet you two at the precinct around 8 am."

Hanging up she informs Castle what Ryan and Esposito have found out. She then starts "Now what was it you were saying?"

He clears his throat, gathering his courage, thinking _he can do this… just tell her you love her_ "Yeah, I was just about to say….."

This time it is his phone that goes off. _Shit… he curses himself…. What is it with them being interrupted every time they have one of their moments? _Sighing he pulls out his phone checking the caller ID; Alexis…. Oh my God he forgot to call his daughterinforming her of his discharge. This is not going to go well…. "Castle."

"Dad, what is going on? I called the hospital to let you know we made it safe and sound to the Hamptons and they tell me you had yourself discharged. You know you shouldn't be by yourself, on your own, with your injuries. What happens if this Rebekah comes back? Are you trying to get yourself killed? And why is the Hamptons Police Department checking on gram and me?

"Alex… Alex…. Alexis, hold on for a minute. I'm sorry I forgot to call you to let you know I was having myself discharged. Just so you know I am not all by myself or on my own… I'm staying with Detective Beckett. As for the Hampton Police Department… I called Chief Brady and asked him to look in on you and gram. I just wanted to make sure the two of you were safe.

There is silence on the other end of the phone and he wonders if they have been disconnected. "Alexis? He receives no reply and tries again; Alexis?"

She finally comes out of her daze "So, you are staying with Kate?"

"Yes, I'm staying with her."

"Does this mean you guys are together now?"

"What? Um no, we both decided it would be safer here at her place instead of the hospital."

"Dad, what are you waiting for…. I thought you were going to tell her how you feel."

"Alexis, I going to… in fact I was just about to before somebody disrupted us."

"Sorry dad, I'll let you go. Let me know how things go."

Finishing his call, Castle gives Kate a rundown (except their conversation focusing on the women sitting next to him) of his call with Alexis. He is about to re-address his confession when Kate looks over at the clock…

"Wow, I didn't realize how late it was getting. Let me go grab a quick shower and change into something more comfortable and then it is all yours."

"Right, um Kate" here it comes it now or never.

Stopping, turning around…. "What is it Rick?"

"I…I…I was just going to say that I can take the couch (chicken)."

"Nonsense Rick, you are my guest… I can sleep on the couch."

"Kate, this is your place, your bedroom… I'm fine staying out here."

"Not going to happen Castle…. Now I'm going to jump in the shower."

She leaves and he places his head in his hands. What's wrong with him? Why can't he just tell her? He had the perfect opportunity and what does he do… he chickens out.

She gets in the shower… what is wrong with her? Why can't she just tell him how she feels? She is a detective for Christ's sake. She stares down killers every day, but can't say three little words to the man sitting out in her living room.

He is sitting on her couch looking through one of her books when he hears her come out. She is dressed in an old NYPD t-shirt and a pair of athletic shorts. His eyes land on her long, beautiful legs.

Clearing her throat pulling his attention back to her face "Bathroom is all yours."

"Thanks" is all he can get out before hurrying off in the direction of her bedroom.

She waits in the living room until she hears the shower turn on… then enters the bedroom grabbing a pillow and pulling a blanket out of the closet before returning to the living room.

Castle slowly removes the bandages from his abdomen before entering the shower. They don't look too bad… he can't wait to brag about his scars. He turns the water to cold…. He needs to get the images of Kate in those shorts out of his head. After a couple of minutes he turns the water back to hot and finishes. He slips his boxers on and enters her bedroom. He sees that the lights are all out in the living room…. She must have gone to sleep. So much for telling her tonight, he slides under the covers hoping he will be able to sleep…. Knowing she is just over in the next room.

Two hours later and he still isn't able to fall to sleep. Anytime he closes his eyes… all he can see is her. Anytime he breathes … he smells her cherry scented lotion. He can't take this… he needs to tell her. He gets up out of bed and heads to the living room.

She has been tossing and turning for almost two and a half hours… her mind will not give in and let sleep take it over. His image consumes her…. Knowing he is over in the next room… all it would take is to get up and move. She knows she is not going to sleep until she tells him… she gets up and heads towards the bedroom.

They come face to face at the doorway. Stopping, looking into each other's eyes…. Before either is aware is comes out of their mouths at the same time "I Love You."

**A/N: Sorry to keep you guys hanging. Hope you are enjoying the story so far. Next chapter should be up soon. Thank you for your support and reviews.**


	10. Chapter 10

_Beckett's Apartment_

They just stand there looking into each other's eyes… both shocked at what the other has said. Could this really be happening? Did they really just express their love for one another? Finally the initial shock wears off and they begin to lean towards one another. Their lips press gently together. The kiss starts of slow and loving, turns passionate and deep. They lose all track of time… not knowing if it last for seconds or minutes. His arms move down her t-shit wrapping around her waist. He arms move up around his neck… digging into the back of his hair. They only pull away when the both are gasping for breath.

"Wow" flowing breathlessly out of his mouth followed by "You were right I had no idea."

She smiles shyly up at him adding "That was incredible."

He reaches up taking her hand in his, intertwining their finger as he starts to lead her towards the bedroom.

"Castle, wait… Dr. Preston said no physical activity for the next two weeks."

He laughs replying "get your mind out of the gutter Beckett."

"What?"

"Kate, I am aware of what he said… and we aren't going to do that, just yet. I don't want to rush this. What we have is special; I've never felt for anyone what I feel for you. I want to us to take our time and do this right. All I want to do tonight is sleep cuddled up together with the woman I love."

"Castle that is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me. Your right I don't want to rush this either. You are important to me and I don't want to blow it."

"Don't worry that is not going to happen. We spent two years getting here… I'm not going to let anything ruin it."

Moving to the bed they kiss one more time before making their way under the sheets. Castle lies on his back while Kate cuddles up into him resting her head on his chest.

"I'm not hurting you lying like this?" she asks.

"No, this is fine."

Although she is happier than she has ever been… there is one thing she needs to know.

"Castle, can I ask you something?"

"Hum, Kate you can ask me anything? I want us to be totally honest with each other."

"Why were you going to leave? I mean if you love me why were you leaving our partnership to go to the Hamptons?"

"You were happy with him Kate, I loved you…. I couldn't stand to see you with somebody else. I didn't want to take away your happiness, so I bowed out."

"Rick, I admit that I liked Tom, he was a nice guy… but it was you who brought me happiness. Before you came along…. I was having no fun, burying myself in the job."

He leans down kissing her forehead; then asks "When did you realize you were in love with me?"

"I believe it was a gradual process. I was worried when you were going to leave me for James Bond. I was jealous when I saw you with Kyra. I was overjoyed that night you showed up at my apartment and protected me. Then to top it off you saved my life twice and took me in. I love that you bring me coffee every morning and make sure I am eating and taking care of myself. But what made me understand it were the advice of a certain detective and the thought of losing you for good. How about you? When did you know you loved me?"

"You know I was always attracted to you… I believe I made very clear. But this last year I realized I wanted more with you than just a onetime thing. The Dunn case brought that to the forefront… then having you stay with me while you found a new place. I saw what we could have together… I didn't want that to end. I should have said something then, but I was scared…. Things were going so well with our friendship and I didn't have a clue if you felt the same way. It took Demming coming in and taking you away from me to admit I had fallen for you."

They smile at each other as Rick leans down kissing her lips one more time. Both are happy where this turn of event has taken them. They snuggle a little closer before drifting off to sleep.

_Outside Beckett's Apartment Building_

She has been watching him most of the day. From the time he was discharged from the hospital up until the time he arrived at her apartment. Did she not tell him to get rid of that detective bitch? Who the hell does she think she is…? Everything she has done is for him and how does he pay her back…. He not only leaves with her but is now staying at her apartment. She feels anger, she feels hatred, and she feels betrayal. She tried reasoning with him…. She tried threatening those who are most important to him. But he is still not listening to her. Doesn't he know that he belongs to her…. He always will. And if she can't have him nobody will.

_Beckett's Apartment_

She wakes up before her alarm goes off. This is the happiest she has been since before her mother's death, snuggled up with the man she loves. She looks up noticing that he is still asleep. God, he is even ruggedly handsome in his sleep. She slowly lifts her left arm. Starting at his chest, she runs her fingertips down his skin towards his abdomen. As she gets close to the right side where his scars are located he jerks away. She looks up to see him looking at her.

"Sorry" she says. A sad look overcoming her at the thought she had hurt him.

"Kate, it's okay…. I'm just a little tender over there."

"I'm still sorry Castle, it's just that it was the first time I saw your injuries without the bandages."

"Really I'm fine; you don't have to apologize…. Now come up here so I can give my girlfriend a proper good morning kiss."

"So are we now boyfriend and girlfriend?" she teases.

He pouts at her response; she makes her way up to him and kisses it away. Pulling away she adds "Good morning my handsome boyfriend."

He laughs at her causing her to do the same before pulling her back in for another kiss. As they separate he replies "Good morning beautiful."

"As much as I would like to continue this Rick…. We need to get up and get ready; the boys are meeting us in an hour at the precinct." She then hops off the bed heading to the bathroom. While she showers, Castle gets up, gets dressed and heads to the kitchen to make her some coffee. As it's brewing he thinks to himself he feels a set of arms wrap around him and a kiss placed on his cheek. Turning around he comes face to face with his gorgeous detective.

"Thanks for making coffee."

"No problem he replies" wrapping his arms around her, pulling her in for another kiss.

Breaking away before it can deepen, Kate decides now is the best time to go over the new rules "Castle, there are some things we need to go over before heading in."

"What things?"

"Um, some ground rules we need to address."

"K-A-T-E" he whines "you know how I feel about rules."

He can be such a child sometimes she thinks, then continues "Rick, if this is going to work… you are just going to have to follow them."

"Alright, but it doesn't mean I will like it."

"First and most importantly there will be no PDA at the precinct, crime scene or while conducting interviews."

"Kate, you just take the fun out of everything."

"Second, other than family members, we keep this between us for now… I don't want to see us plastered all over page 6."

"I can live with that and I promise to keep the paparazzi away as much as possible…. So you are not going to tell the boys or Lanie?"

"I want to wait with the boys as for Lanie…. She will figure it out in no time. She has been routing for us for a while now."

_12__th__ Precinct_

Castle and Beckett are already there waiting for Ryan and Esposito to arrive. Other than briefly holding her hand while they were alone in the elevator, he has been doing a pretty good job following the rules. Not to say he hasn't been tempted to break them. Like right now, she is sitting there concentrating on the paper in front of her… doing that biting her lip thing that drives him crazy. He just wants to lean over taking those lips into his. He needs to stop thinking like this or he will never last the day… needing a distraction he asks Beckett if she needed some coffee and then heads off to the break room. She giggles as he leaves … she been with him long enough to know what biting her lip does to him, but she can't help herself. She then watches him as he leaves checking out his fine backside. Lucky for her nobody seems to notice.

A few minutes later he returns with her coffee, their fingers lingering a little longer than necessary as he hands her the cup.

"Thanks you Castle"

"My pleasure" he returns retaking his seat by her desk.

Just then Ryan and Esposito exit the elevator moving towards their desks. "Morning boss" they say in unison passing Beckett then add "Hey Castle".

"Morning boys, so what do we have on Tracy Thompson?"

Ryan starts off "Her parents live over in Tribeca; she has an apartment in So-ho. She has a brother and sister, both live out of state. She was committed to Bellevue by her parents after suffering from Psychosis. She developed a close friendship with Rebekah Castle during her time there and she was released one month before Rebekah."

"Right, Castle and I will go talk with Tracy… you guys check with her parents, see what they might know about Rebekah."

"Got it, let's go bro."

_Tracy Thompson's Apartment_

Castle and Beckett make their way up to Ms. Thompson's fourth floor apartment. She knocks and the door waiting for a response… nothing. She tries again with the same result. She is just about to slide one of her cards under the door when her next door neighbor comes out of his apartment. Beckett approaches him pulling out her badge. "Detective Beckett NYPD, What can you tell me about your neighbor Tracy Thompson?"

"Not much… I haven't seen her in probably a year."

"A year, you're sure about that?"

"Yeah, it was about a year ago…. She had another woman staying with her… I think it was a friend of hers from Bellevue."

Beckett pulls out a picture of Rebekah Castle and shows it to him "Is this her?"

He looks it over and nods, then adds "Although I have seen Tracy, she (pointing to the picture) has been coming and going."

She thanks him just as her phone rings, looking at the caller ID she sees its Espo. "Hey Espo, What's up?"

"We just got done talking to Mr. and Mrs. Thompson; they haven't seen Tracy for over a year. They had a big fight with her with regarding her friendship with Rebekah. They said they had a strange feeling when Tracy brought her to meet them… as a result they hired a private detective to look into her background. After finding out about the stalking and attempted murder on Castle… they pleaded her to end their friendship."

"We got a similar story from one of her neighbors stating he hadn't seen her in almost a year. I'm going to talk to the super and see if he will let us into her apartment. We will see you back at the precinct."

Beckett and Castle head down to the super's office. He is very reluctant to access Ms. Thompson's apartment without a warrant. He informs them that she is an ideal tenant… no complaints and always paying her rent on time.

Castle cuts in "Well he parents have not seen her for quite some time and asked us to conduct a welfare check."

The super thinks it over for a minute and gives in leading them back up to Tracy's apartment to unlock her door. Once inside they slowly make their way checking the apartment. One thing they can tell for sure is that nobody his lived in here for a while. So far they have found nothing, heading for the master bedroom and bath there was a smell that both of them recognized immediately. What they found in the bathroom makes their stomach's turn. Lying in the bath tub covered in what appears to be Lime is the decomposing body of who they can guess is Tracy Thompson. Beckett calls it in waiting for the uniforms to come secure the scene for the ME and CSU. Castle just stands there staring at the body. Seeing the look on his face, Kate makes her way over to him. "Castle, is everything alright?"

He ignores her… continuing to focus on Tracy's body. She tries again this time grabbing his hand "Rick, are you alright?"

He slowly turns his head towards her "This is entirely my fault."

"What?" says Beckett confused.

He repeats himself "I said this is entirely my fault."

"Castle, this is not your fault."

"Kate, If I would have done what I should have eight years ago none of this would have happened."

"Rick, you don't know that…. You can't control what Rebekah does."

He lowers his head looking defeated as she walks up in front of him pulling him into her arms. Not knowing what else to say she whispers" I love you."

He wraps his arms around her "Thanks Kate, I love you too." They stay like that until they hear the sirens approaching.

It isn't long until Lanie makes it to the scene followed shortly by Ryan and Esposito. They find Beckett and Castle waiting in the living room. "Hey girl what do we have in there?"

"Decomposing body in the tub covered most likely with Lime."

"Well that's going to affect Time of Death; Lime not only covers the odor but also speeds up the decomposition process" Lanie replies.

Beckett nods as Lanie makes her way into the bathroom. Kate turns to Ryan and Esposito "why don't the two of you start interviewing the rest of the neighbors? See when the last time any of them saw Tracy and if she was with anybody."

"On it" they say in unison as the head back out of the apartment.

She then turns to Castle "as soon as we get Lanie's preliminary results we'll head back to the precinct."

He just nods staring at nothing in particular.

She walks up grabbing his hand "Hey, remember what I said…. This is not your fault."

"Maybe not Kate, but it doesn't make me feel any better about it… I'll be waiting out in the hallway."

She doesn't want him to leave her sight, but she knows she was a job to do. She heads into the bathroom to see what Lanie was able to find.

Lanie looks up to see Beckett entering the bathroom "where is your boy?"

She sighs than answers "this one is really affecting him… he blames himself?"

"I'm sure you told him otherwise… anyway it appears your victim dies from multiple gunshots to the abdomen. I won't be able to give you anything else until I get her back to the morgue."

"Thanks Lanie" with that Beckett turns heading out to find Castle and make their way back to the precinct.

_12__th__ Precinct_

When Ryan and Esposito get back they inform Beckett and Castle that most of her neighbors have not seen Tracy in close to a year. They also tell them that most of them have identified Rebekah as who she was seen with.

Ryan begins "What I don't get is if she was such good friends with Tracy… why kill her?"

Espo jumps in "Maybe they had a falling out; her parents did say they were trying to end their friendship."

Beckett thinks it over for a minute "here is the thing I don't get… why try to hide it? It appears Tracy has been dead for almost a year why cover her body in lime? Why continue to pay her rent?"

It is Castle who blurts out the answer "She has been using her identity that has got to be it."

Beckett looks over at the boys "go ahead and run her financials." She turns and is about to say something to Castle when her phone rings. "Beckett, okay I'll be right down. Lanie has something for us, you coming?"

"Actually I think I'll stay here if you don't mind."

She gives him a strange look. "My side is bothering me some."

She doesn't buy it but heads down to the morgue.

_Medical Examiner's Office_

Entering Beckett announces "Hey Lanie what do you have for me?"

"Hello to you to Kate. So, your victim is in fact Tracy Thompson. Even with the lime helping with decomposition I'd say she died 10 to 12 months ago from multiple gunshots. The caliber was a .22, before you ask… I did check and the bullets came from the same gun that shot Castle. Speaking of whom where is he?"

"He decided to stay upstairs. He said his side was bothering him, but I don't buy it… I think he is still blaming himself for everything."

"Hmm-mm" replies Lanie. "Now that I have you down here…. Has anything new happened between you and writer boy?"

Uh oh she knew this was coming sooner or later…. Maybe she can play dumb. "Well you already know he is staying with me."

"Kate, you know that is not what I mean. You have been smiling a lot more than normal. So have you talked to him about what we discussed?"

"What did we discuss?"

"K-A-T-E" Lanie whines "you know exactly what I'm talking about."

She laughs "yes Lanie I have talked with him, and he feels the same way."

"Oh girl, I'm so happy for you" then Lanie's smile turns devilish "Did anything else happen?"

"NO!" Kate almost yells.

"No" replies Lanie "Kate you finally get this guy alone, tell him you love him and nothing happens?"

"Well they may have been some kissing"

"Okay."

"But we both want to do this right; we don't want to mess it up."

"That's great Kate, but when you two finally do the nasty I want details."

"Lanie."

**A/N: Sorry to stop it there, but I still have a few things to work out for the next chapter. Should be up by beginning of the week…enjoy.**


	11. Chapter 11

_12__th__ Precinct_

Beckett returns from the morgue and her talk with Lanie to find the boys along with Castle huddled together in the break room. Entering the doorway she asks "So did the financials turn up anything?"

The guys look up from whatever they were going over, Espo answers "actually we were just about to call you… we found a few things. There was a substantial amount of money deposited in Tracy's checking account after her death. Whoever has been using her ID also has been using her checking account to make payments on an apartment just one block from Castle's place at 325 Broome Street."

"That has to be Rebekah" Castle stated.

Beckett takes in everything that Espo has told her before responding to Castle "I have to agree. Alright let's go. Castle you're with me, Ryan and Esposito… we'll meet you there… I'm going to brief Montgomery and call Judge Maraway for the warrant."

_300 Block Broome Street_

Thirty minutes later Beckett and Castle pulled up to the apartment building. Ryan and Esposito were there already waiting on them. Steeping out of the vehicle Ryan steps up to meet them "we already talked to the super…. Her apartment is on the third floor; 315."

As they pull out their vest and gear up, Beckett turns to Castle "what do you think you're doing?"

He pauses as he is about to put on his writer's vest "what does it look like I'm doing… I'm getting ready just like always?"

"Castle, you were just shot not even a week ago, you are not going in there with us, you are going to wait in the car…and this time you better listen."

"K-A-T-E" he whines "I'm fine… I need to go in there with you."

"No Castle, you are not going in there with us and that's final."

"Fine" he pouts as he puts his vest back into the trunk and sits in the passenger seat.

She turns to look at him one more time before entering the front door of the apartment complex "remember stay in the car."

Ryan and Espo decide to tease him before following Beckett inside "yeah dad you better listen to mom." Castle leaves out a little chuckle while Beckett just gives them one of her famous glares.

Beckett and the boys meet up with the super and head up to the third floor. They position themselves outside the front door of apartment 315. Beckett knocks and announces "Rebekah Castle this is the NYPD …. Unlock the door and come out with your hands up." After waiting for thirty seconds she nods to the super who unlocks the front door. They enter with precision, Beckett taking the lead followed by Esposito and then Ryan. They go from room to room; the only noise heard is the call of clear coming from one of them. They enter the final room shocked at what they find. There is not sign of Rebekah, however located over near the bed is a collage of surveillance photos of Richard Castle. Pictures of him with Alexis, pictures of him with Martha, pictures of him with her, pictures of him entering and leaving the 12th, and pictures of him entering and leaving the loft.

Back down on the street sitting in Beckett's crown vic., Castle is becoming somewhat restless. He can't stand sitting here doing nothing. He pulls out his phone tempted to call Beckett, but thinks better of it. He happens to glance across the street and notices a woman staring at him. He looks closer and actually sees her smiling at him. Then it hits him… it's Rebekah. Deciding not to call for Beckett, he gets out of the car and starts crossing the street.

She watches him get out of the car and makes sure he is going to follow her. As he approaches her, she turns entering into a nearby coffee shop. He enters looks around for her. Making his way through the crowd… she is nowhere to be seen. Just as he is about to give up, he feels something jabbed into his injured side. He gasps in pain and hears her voice "hello Ricky, what took you so long?"

"Hello Rebekah, so nice to see you again" he forces out looking down to notice the .22 she has pointed at his abdomen.

"I thought I told you to stay away from that detective, I know you have been staying at her place. That does not make me happy, and things happen when I'm not happy."

He thinks for a moment… he doesn't want anybody else to get hurt because of him. "You're right; I'm sorry I should have listened to you."

"That's better Ricky, but what are we going to do about it?"

"I think we need to talk, just you and me… but not here, we need privacy."

"Okay, where are we going to go?"

"My loft, as you already know, it's right down the block."

She had just finished contacting CSU to come check the apartment for prints and was heading out to her vehicle to inform Castle what they had found when it hit her…._Castle was not in her vehicle._ Fear started to overcome her… where was he? She looked both up and down the street… nothing. Her heart started racing…. She should have never left him alone…What was she thinking? Just then Ryan and Esposito made their way out noticing her panicked expression and a certain writer missing. Unable to filter his mouth Ryan asked "Where's Castle?"

Espo is just about to smack his partner across the back of the head when he hears Beckett's barely audible voice "This is my fault… what was I thinking… I should have never left him alone."

"Beckett, this is not your fault" Espo replies.

"Yes it is Espo; I should have made him stay at the 12th."

"You know as well as I do that there was no way Castle would stay at the 12th if there was a chance to catch Rebekah" he responded.

She stumbles to the hood of her car, placing herself against it, trying to gather herself. She feels like she has let him down. She was supposed to be protecting him that was the whole reason for getting him released from the hospital. She failed…. God help if something happens to him. How is she going to face Alexis or Martha? They put their trust in her.

Ryan snaps her out of her loathing "Hey, we are going to find him. You have to stay positive."

"Yeah, thanks Ryan" she replies. She is startled when her phone starts to ring. She looks down at the caller ID… "It's Castle."

_Castle' Loft_

It takes them no time at all to make it down to his loft. She keeps her arm wrapped around him under his jacket with the gun jabbed into his side. She keeps her head down as they enter his lobby… hoping his door man will not recognize her. She lucks out, as she hears him say "Afternoon Mr. Castle, fine day we are having."

"Afternoon to you George, I hope everything is going well with you and the misses."

"Everything is going great sir, thank you for asking."

She is surprised that he didn't try anything to warn the door man. Maybe he is realizing that there isn't anything he can do… he is hers.

They arrive outside his door, as he reaches into his pocket to pull out his keys… they slide out of his hand and land on the floor. "Clumsy me" he responds as he leans down to pick them up. She pays no attention to him and has not noticed that he also pulled out his phone. He quickly hits number 1 on his speed dial and leaves the line open as he hides it in his shirt pocket. Unlocking the door he calls out to her "here we are home sweet home."

He leads her over to the living room and they both take a seat on the couch facing each other. She still has the gun pointed towards him. She starts "so what did you want to talk about?"

"Let's start with Tracy Thompson, why did you kill her?"

"Do we have to…? I thought we were going to talk about us."

"We will I promise, but now I need to know why she died."

Rebekah sighs "I didn't mean to kill her, she was my friend… she was the only person at Bellevue who talked to me. After I got out I tracked her down. Everything was going well until her parents got involved. They wanted her to end our friendship, at first she wouldn't but after a while she started finding reason that we couldn't meet or even talk. Finally I went to her place and confronted her. She told me we couldn't be friends anymore. Before I knew what happened I pulled out the gun and shot her twice. I didn't know what to do… I didn't want to go to jail or back to Bellevue so I decided to place her in the tub cover her with lime and clean up the mess."

"Okay Rebekah, but why did you assume her identity?"

"That's easy" she starts "As soon as I got out, I knew that I wanted you; I was angry and upset with the fact that you put me in that place and that was the reason I shot you. I needed you the feel the pain you caused me for leaving me there for 8 years. After Tracy died, I started watching you… planning my move. I needed to be close to you, but I didn't want the police to find me… so I assumed Tracy's identity. I got a fake driver's license in her name, memorized her social security number, deposited my half of the money my parents left me… and became Tracy Thompson."

Castle sits there listening to everything she has told him. He quickly looks at the clock knowing it shouldn't take much longer for Beckett and the boys to get here. He just needs to stall for a few more minutes. "What is it you want from me?"

"Ricky, don't you get it? Everything I did… I did for you. I love you and you love me… we belong together forever."

They both hear the front door start to open and that's when everything happens.

_300 Block Broome Street_

As soon as she sees its Castle, Beckett quickly pulls the phone up to her ear "Castle, where are you?" She gets no reply but can hear talking in the background. The boys approach her about to ask a question when she holds up her hand motioning for them to keep quiet. She hears Castle say "here we are home sweet home."

She turns to the boys "He's at the loft and it sounds like Rebekah is with him." She runs around to her vehicle and jumps in, placing the phone on speaker so she can continue to monitor him; she hits her lights and heads for the loft. The boys follow suite and pull in behind her.

_Entrance Castle's Building_

They pull in front of the entrance, jumping out guns drawn, they head into the lobby. George sees them coming… a knot forming in the pit of his stomach. He knows they are friends of Mr. Castle and that he must be in trouble if they are running in with their guns drawn. As they enter he says "Is Mr. Castle okay? He just came in a couple of minutes ago with some woman."

Beckett can tell he is shaken. She knows that he and Castle have a good relationship from the time she has spent with him. "George, Mr. Castle is in danger… we need to the key to his loft."

He hurries behind the counter, pulling out the spare keys looking for the one that belongs to Castle's loft. Finding it he quickly hands it over to Beckett.

She turns to the boys "Ryan your with me on the elevator, Espo take the stairs."

Ryan and her exit the elevator the same time Espo comes out of the stairwell. They quickly stage in front of his door. They listen carefully… they can hear talking inside. She slowly inserts the key and turns to them "On the count of three….one …two….three."

_Inside Castle's Loft_

Rebekah hears the front door opening, just as she is about to respond Castle lunges for her, getting hold of the gun he wrestle for control with her. In the span of 5 seconds two shots ring out. He feels pain from his right side as the first bullet flies. Then he hears the second shot and both Rebekah and he fall to the floor.

Beckett, Ryan and Esposito come through the door when they hear multiple shots fired. They barrel through the kitchen and into the living room where the finds them both lying on the floor… blood all around them. She freezes as Ryan and Esposito make their way over to Rebekah and Castle. She is afraid at what they are going to find. Remembering that this woman already planned a murder/suicide once on Castle… Maybe this time she succeeded. She feels tears start to form in her eyes. He can't be gone… not when there is still more for them to accomplish. That is when she hears Espo "Beckett call for a bus… Castle is alive."

She quickly radios dispatch informing them they have two people down at 425 Broome Street and need an ambulance ASAP. She then runs over to his side. "Castle" she calls to him.

He opens his eyes "Beckett, hey don't look so sad… I'm fine."

She tries to hold them back but she can't as the tears come on "Jesus Castle you scared the shit out of me, what the hell were you thinking" as she lightly slaps him on the shoulder.

"Hey, I'm injured here…. I am sorry, I just didn't want anyone else to get hurt because of me" he replies. She then reaches for his hand intertwining their fingers.

Ryan comes over to them, nods over to where Rebekah is lying motionless "She's dead" he tells them. "Second shot appears to have hit her in the heart."

His eyes move from Beckett's face over to where Rebekah's body is lying. He feels sadness for her. He knows he should be glad it is over, but part of him keeps telling him she was sick… it wasn't her fault.

Beckett can sense what he is feeling, she tugs him to get his attention "Castle, there is nothing you could have done differently. It's unfortunate that it ended this way, but you are alive and that's all that matters to me. I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

He looks over and smiles at her, he really wishes he could kiss her right now…. But knows it is against her rules. He leans towards her intending to whisper this in hear ear when she surprises him with a kiss. It takes him a moment to register what is happening before he starts kissing her back.

It isn't long before they hear people clearing their throats. Breaking apart they turn to see Ryan and Esposito smiling at them. Espo asks "Is there something you would like to tell us?"

Beckett replies for both of them "Later" she says "I'll let you know later."

Fifteen minutes later the paramedics arrive. They place a sheet over Rebekah's body and begin to examine Castle. Luckily he only received a contact wound near his ribs. The paramedics were able to clean it and stitch him up right there without him having to go to the hospital. Although they informed him he should follow up with his family physician. Beckett never left his side… holding his hand the entire time. After they finished she turned and whispered to him "With all those scars you really look butch now."

He laughed and when he was sure nobody was looking…. pulled her in for a quick kiss. After giving his statement to Ryan with regard to his struggle with Rebekah… he moved to an area of the loft where he and Kate could have some privacy. He starts "I was thinking now that the case is over, how about we get away from here for a while?"

"What, what do you mean get away?"

"I mean you and me going away for two weeks on a vacation. No precinct, no writing, no family… just us. Kate, I know we both said we love each other…. I believe we need to give us a chance with no distractions."

She drops her gaze down to the floor and Castle waits for her to come up with some reason she can't go… she catches him totally off guard with her response "So, where are we going on this vacation?" She then leans in and captures his lips with another kiss… it starts to get heated and he knows they need to pull apart before the get caught again.

Hearing her groan as he pulls away… he smiles at her "We can go anywhere you want to go."

She smiles back at him "anywhere?"

**A/N: One or two chapters left with the possibility of an epilogue. Thanks for following, and I hope you are enjoying it.**


	12. Chapter 12

Two weeks ago when he told Kate they could go anywhere she wanted for their getaway… he never would of considered her father's cabin located up in the Lake George area. He just assumed she would chose somewhere like Hawaii, California, and Florida or maybe his place in the Hamptons. He's not complaining though…. This is two weeks for them alone with no interruptions building on something he feels can be great. He has never looked forward to something in all his life.

Their four hour ride is spent taking in the beautiful scenery of upstate New York and conversation. Being Rick Castle and needing to know everything… he has to ask "Kate, what made you decide the chose your father's cabin?"

She thinks about for a second and responds "I really don't know Rick? All I can say was it was the first thing that popped in my head. I guess I just had so many happy times here and wanted to share them with you."

Smiling at the fact that this place is important to her and she wants to share it with him he asks "When did you start coming here?"

"My parents bought the cabin when I was seven years old. We would come up twice during the summer for two weeks at a time… usually in the beginning and then again right before school started."

"It sounds like it was fun"

"It was… Both my mom and dad were busy at the law firm, working sometimes 7 days a week and long hours. I often spent most of my summers with sitters or relatives. But when we came up here… I felt like I was the only thing that mattered. Whatever I wanted to do you did."

He watches her reminiscing; her smile is beautiful and makes him feel warm inside. After a minute though she is no longer smiling and he can see the pain that has replaced it. He takes his hand in hers giving it a slight reassuring squeeze. Looking over at him she smiles again and keeps their fingers entwined.

"Sorry Rick, this place not only brings up happy memories but also makes me realize what I lost." She looks down at her father's watch located on the hand entwined with his and then lifts her other hand grasping her mother's ring. She doesn't have to say the words…already knowing what she means.

He takes a moment trying to find the right words to take away the pain "Kate, maybe this trip can be the start of a new and happy memory."

She looks back up at him smiling as she leans in to give him a chaste kiss, before nuzzling into his side.

After a couple of minutes if comfortable silence pass she asks him "So Castle was there any place special you and Martha went during the summer?"

"Um no not really, I was usually at one or another boarding school during the year." Smirking with one of his devilish grins "I was usually thrown out of one or two before the year ended. Anyway mother worked wherever she could throughout the year… so my summer was spent travelling all across the country. I'd spend most of my time either sitting at theatres entertaining myself while she did rehearsals or staying in a hotel room with a sitter."

Looking at him sadly she replies "That didn't sound like much fun."

"No it wasn't… but I didn't blame her for it… she was a single mother doing what she had to in order to survive. I also think it lead me into becoming a writer."

"How is that?" Kate asked.

"Well those summers I spent a lot of my time in libraries reading books like Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, The Spy who Loved Me and classics like The Hound of the Baskervilles, A Study in Scarlett and The Sign of the Four. These books turned my on to mystery, murder and justice. They developed who I am today."

"Castle just so you know… I am happy you are the person you are today." She is unsure if she should tell him that it was his writing… his words that saved her after her mother's death. If any time is the right time it is now… "Um there is something else you should know."

He looks over at her… seeing her hesitancy he coaxes her on "Kate, you don't have to tell me if you're not ready."

"No Rick this is something I want you to know… you have already guessed I am a fan of your work, but… it was your writing, your books that helped me become the woman I am today."

She can see the shocked look in his face and continues "when my mother was murdered I felt like my life was falling down a rabbit hole. I had lost one of the most important people in my life and my father turned to the bottle. I was only 19 and there was nobody there for me. One minute a teenager with no cares in the world and the next left to pretty much fend for themselves. I don't know if I would have made it if I hadn't picked up one of your books my mother had lying around and stared reading it. You gave me a silver lining, showed me that even in the darkest moment justice could prevail."

He is still sitting there shocked by what she has told him. Trying to lighten the mood she adds "I even stood in line for hours at one of your book signings just to meet you."

She is caught off guard when he replies "May 20th 2002 at the Barnes and Noble on 33 East 17th Street."

"What? How can you remember that?"

"When you crashed the book signing party and brought me in for questioning I swore we had met before. It didn't hit me until later on… the first time I saw you smile."

"Castle, how did my smile help you remember?"

"I remembered at the book signing this beautiful but sad woman brought her book for me to sign. I hated seeing the look of pain in her face. I don't remember what exactly I said but you smiled at me. I could never forget a smile like that."

"You told me not to give up that every dark cloud has a silver lining."

"Wow, really I said that."

"Yes you did"

It isn't long before they reach the Cabin. His first impression is that it's perfect. The two story cabin is neither flamboyant nor rustic and is situated perfectly with views of both the Lake and of Prospect Mountain. As they get of their vehicle she says "how about I give you a tour of the cabin and then we'll unload the vehicle?"

"That sounds great."

Entering the front door he notices it is pretty much an open floor plan. There is a nice sized living room with a fire place, a big couch and a couple chairs, an older TV set with a VCR. There are family pictures hung on the walls drawing his attention. Most of them are of a little or teenaged Kate Beckett, Some with her father or mother and one of the three of them just above the fireplace. She comes up behind him wraps her arms around him and laughs. "You might say I was an ugly duckling as a child… tall, lanky and a big smile with too many teeth." He turns around to face her "You were beautiful then just as you are beautiful now," pulling her into him and giving her a tender kiss. They slowly pull apart and continue with the tour.

The living runs right into a decent sized eat it kitchen. There is a small room off on the right that appears to be a study. There are book shelves and Castle notices a few of his older novels. Behind the kitchen is a doorway leading to a screened in deck. Out in the yard he sees a fire pit and a built in grill. She leads him up the stairs to the second floor. There are two bedrooms and a bathroom. One of the bedrooms is larger in size and has a small walk out porch with a beautiful view of the lake.

She turns to look at him "So what do you think?"

"I think it perfect" he says.

They head back down to the car to grab their bags. She is surprised when they head back upstairs he places his in the spare room instead of following into the master. She was sure he just assumed they would be sleeping together. Although it is sweet she gives him a questioning look. He comes up to her "I meant what I said that night in your apartment… I don't want to rush this. You are too important to me… and I don't want to screw this up."

Kate smiles at him before kissing him "Rick, I feel the same way… this, what we have is special to me too… but I'm not sure I'll be able to make it the next two weeks alone in bed with you across the hall."

He laughs… "Why don't we just take it one day at a time?"

She nods, "Why don't you get settled I going to run out a get something for lunch… and then we could just go to the beach at the lake and relax for the rest of the day."

"Sounds like a plan." As she heads out he pulls out his phone and quickly gives Alexis a call.

She picks up on the second ring "Hey dad… are you behaving yourself or did Kate already have to put you in time out."

Though she can't see him he is giving her the classic Castle pout before he tries to sound serious "Pumpkin I'm hurt that you don't have faith in your dad." He can't hold it and they both start laughing "Everything is fine… we just got here and it is really beautiful."

"Dad, just promise me you will be on your best behavior… I really like Kate – she is good for you."

"Alexis, I promise… I am not going to do anything stupid to screw this up… she is special. I go to go Kate will be coming back soon, but I will give you an update in a couple of days."

"Alright Dad, just remember best behavior."

After lunch they change to head to the lake. Rick is already in his trunks and is waiting in the living room for Kate. He hears her start coming downstairs and looks up… what he sees nearly gives him a heart attack. Kate Beckett in a red bikini, stopping when she sees the look on his face. "Is everything alright Rick?"

He just continues to stare; this is exactly the response she was hoping to get from him. "Rick…Rick…Castle?"

Finally snapping out of his trance "Sorry Kate… I just never have seen anything so breathe taking."

"Well you're not so bad yourself Mr. Castle."

A short time after arriving at the lake… she lies on her stomach and asks "Rick, do you mind putting lotion on my back?"

"Um sure"

As he starts with her shoulders, Kate reaches back to undue her top stopping him in his tracks. "K-A-T-E he whines"

"What she asks?" knowing exactly what she is doing. He takes a breath and continues putting her lotion on. He is just about to pull away when she adds "Hey, don't forget the back of my legs."

God their not even here one day and this woman is trying to kill him. As he starts with the back of her thighs working his way down… he hears her let off a little grown. At the same time he feels the front of his trunks tighten. He knows what she is doing… he leans closer to her and whispers "tease" into her ear… gaining a giggle from Kate.

After finishing he announces that he's going in for a dip to cool off. Little does he know that she is just as hot and bothered from his wonderful hands smoothly running up and down her legs? She laughs as he hurries himself over to the lake and dives right it… trying to hide his excitement.

Coming out of the water… hair wet, water running off his toned body… she can't take her eyes off of him. He is really as he puts ruggedly handsome, the scars from his shootings adding more character. He is heading back to her when she sees two busty blondes running towards him. Jealousy hits her as she hurries to redo her top and head over to claim her man.

He is focused on Kate and does not see them coming. All of a sudden her hears "excuse me" and sees two women running up to him.

"Aren't you the Richard Castle?" they ask.

"No, but don't feel bad I get that all the time… my name is Richard Rodgers."

They introduce themselves and then ask if he has a girlfriend. Kate appears at his side wrapping her arm around his waist leaning in and kissing him. She looks at the two and says "sorry girls but he is taken."

After the leave she drags him back into the water smirking at him. "What?" he asks

"Richard Rodgers" she says looking at him questioningly.

"Well, you didn't think my name was always Castle did you? And besides if they knew it was me they would either keep hounding us or tweet where I was seen and the paparazzi would be here in no time. I don't want that… this is just supposed to be about us."

Pulling him closer to her, she wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him full with passion. Needing to come up for air they release resting their heads against one another. "I love you Rick."

"Kate I love you too."

She has to ask "Rick, why didn't you let me see the real you before?"

"I'm not sure… I guess I use the playboy persona to protect me. I'm afraid of getting hurt again. I have to failed marriages and my thinking is if a woman is willing to put up with the playboy act and see the real me… then she is worth it."

She leans in again hitting him with a tender kiss.

They head back to the cabin. Rick runs up grabbing his shower first and then starts preparing dinner while Kate has hers. Dinner is amazing… making her favorite Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo. After washing and putting away their plates, he pours them each a glass of wine as they move to the back deck snuggling close together, taking in the sunset.

**A/N: I know I said there was probably only one more chapter plus an epilogue. However, I feel like I may need to focus at least a couple of chapters on their time alone. I hope you are enjoying. Thanks**


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